Not Meta-like $100 million pay packages: The ‘biggest’ reason why Google’s ex-employees are returning to company

As the Silicon Valley ‘AI talent war’ escalates into a multi-billion dollar bidding power struggle, Google has successfully deployed a ‘boomerang’ strategy to bring its top minds back to the company. While rivals like Meta and OpenAI are offering astronomical signing bonuses as mush as $100 million, Google is winning back its former staffers with a different kind of currency: Robust computational infrastructure

Citing data, CNBC reported that approximately 20% of AI software engineers hired by Google in 2025 were former employees.