
Google's "Return" Year: In 2025, 20% of newly hired AI software engineers are former employees
In 2025, 20% of the artificial intelligence (AI) software engineers hired by Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, are "boomerangs" who previously left the company, indicating that Google is leveraging its vast pool of former employees (especially after the major layoffs in 2023) to address the talent shortage in AI.
Despite facing fierce poaching from OpenAI and Meta Platforms (which offered a $100 million bonus), Google has successfully attracted talent back or to join the company due to its strong financial resources, top-tier computing infrastructure, and technological breakthroughs with Gemini 3

