Quite a few of the AI software engineers hired by Google in 2025 were actually ex-employees

• One in five of Google's AI hires last year were 'boomerang' hires returning to the company
• Google is also hiring more workers from rival companies than previously
• Apple also just appointed an ex-Googler as VP of AI

Google is re-hiring a number of ex-employees to help boost its AI strategy, a new CNBC report states, claiming one in five AI software engineer hires were so-called 'boomerang' employees.

Not only is this figure up from previous years, but Google also claims to be hiring more workers from rival companies (like Microsoft, Amazon and Apple) than ever before.

"We're energized by our momentum, compute and talent – engineers want to work here to keep building groundbreaking products," a company spokesperson shared.

A lot of AI hiring revolves around poaching

Data published by ADP Research confirms 'boomerang' hiring, where companies regain former assets (including from periods spent at rival companies), is on the rise, and has been since 2022. This trend is amplified within the information sector, while other sections like leisure and hospitality, health and construction see fewer returning employees.

Google also has a large pool of alumni to pick from after cutting around 12,000 workers in early 2023, plus hundreds more in smaller rounds of layoffs.

When ChatGPT hit the ground running in November 2022, rival companies like Google were left stunned, but recent years have seen Google in particular step up to the mark. The company recently launched Gemini 3, and with it "a new era of intelligence."

The Gemini app now has 650 million monthly users, but it still lags behind OpenAI's 800 million weekly ChatGPT users.

Still, investors are happy with the work Google is doing. Company shares are up 62% this year to date.

On the flip side, Google isn't the only company poaching AI talent. Apple recently announced that 16-year Google veteran Amar Subramanya would be joining Apple as VP of AI following John Giannandrea's departure.

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