Google Luring Back Ex-Employees Without Matching $100 Million Pay Packages: Here's Why

The battle for AI talent in Silicon Valley is intensifying, with companies locked in a costly struggle. Google has found success in bringing back former employees, even as competitors like Meta and OpenAI dangle enormous signing bonuses, some reaching $100 million. Instead of matching those huge payouts, Google is using its strength in computational resources as its primary draw.

CNBC reports that approximately 20% of AI software engineers hired by Google in 2025 previously worked at the company. This trend indicates that leading engineers are prioritizing the ability to develop and deploy their work effectively, even over a large immediate salary.

According to the report, Google's head of compensation, John Casey, directly addressed this trend at a recent internal meeting. He pointed out that AI researchers are increasingly attracted to Google's substantial financial backing and its unmatched computational infrastructure. Google's advantage lies in being a comprehensive provider, offering its own Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), a cloud platform for hosting AI models, and products designed to integrate AI services. This "all-in-one" approach gives Google an edge that pure cash offers cannot replicate.

A Google spokesperson stated that the company is energized by its momentum, computing power, and talent pool, adding that engineers are eager to work at Google to continue building groundbreaking products. In addition to competitive salaries and infrastructure, Google has been streamlining its operations by eliminating over a third of its middle-management positions to accelerate product delivery. Even co-founder Sergey Brin has returned from retirement to personally recruit top-tier candidates. The recent success of Gemini 3 has further boosted the company's standing, especially after a difficult start in 2022. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, a co-founder of DeepMind, has also acknowledged the intense competition for AI talent, noting a constant movement of experts among the top five tech companies.