1 in 5 Google AI hires in 2025 were former employees amid AI talent war

Google has increasingly turned to rehiring former employees as it battles intensifying competition for artificial intelligence talent, with one in five AI-focused software engineers hired in 2025 classified as so-called boomerang employees, according to a report by CNBC.

The report stated that around 20% of Google’s AI engineer hires this year were returning staff, marking an increase from previous years. A Google spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that the figure remained accurate as of December and informed that the company has also seen a rise in AI researchers joining from major competitors compared with 2024.

According to CNBC, John Casey, Google’s head of compensation, spoke about the trend in an internal meeting, explaining that AI engineers are drawn to Google’s financial resources and vast computing infrastructure, which are critical for advanced AI development.

Google has a large pool of former employees to draw from following its biggest-ever round of layoffs in early 2023, when parent company Alphabet cut about 12,000 roles, reducing its workforce by roughly 6%. The layoffs came amid a broader market slowdown driven by high inflation and rising interest rates, and were followed by further rolling layoffs and buyouts.

Industry-wide, the return of former employees has become more common, according to data published earlier this year by ADP Research, with the information sector showing the highest levels of boomerang hiring.

The rehiring push comes as Google works to regain ground in generative AI after lagging behind following OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. After a series of uneven product launches, the company has staged a recovery through heavy investment in AI infrastructure and growing adoption of its Gemini app. Google announced its latest model, Gemini 3, last month.

Alphabet’s share price has risen more than 60% this year, outperforming other megacap technology peers.

Competition for AI talent across the industry remains fierce. CNBC reported in July that Microsoft hired around two dozen employees from Google’s DeepMind AI research lab. OpenAI and Meta have also been aggressively recruiting, with OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman telling employees in June that Meta was offering signing bonuses as high as $100 million in an effort to lure staff.

Google itself has brought back prominent AI figures, including Noam Shazeer, who left the company in 2021 to co-found Character.AI after Google declined to advance an internal chatbot initiative. Shazeer and co-founder Daniel De Freitas, along with other members of the Character.AI research team, rejoined DeepMind in August 2024 under a licensing agreement for the startup’s technology.

Over the past year, Google has also moved to speed up decision-making and product launches, even at the risk of releasing less-polished offerings. CNBC reported in August that the company reduced bureaucracy by implementing widespread buyouts and cutting more than one-third of managers overseeing small teams, as it seeks to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.