According to CNBC, 20% of the software engineers working on artificial intelligence that Google hired throughout 2025 were “boomerang” employees, meaning they were former Googlers returning to the company. This marked a significant increase from prior years, a statistic a Google spokesperson confirmed remains accurate as of December. The company’s head of compensation, John Casey, told employees that AI engineers are drawn back by Google’s financial resources and the massive computational infrastructure needed for advanced AI work. This hiring surge comes after Google’s parent company, Alphabet, conducted its largest-ever round of layoffs in early 2023, cutting 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce. The spokesperson also noted a jump in AI researchers coming from major competitors in 2025 compared to 2024.
The Layoff Irony
Here’s the thing that makes this so fascinating. Google spent 2023 and 2024 conducting massive, headline-grabbing layoffs. They created this huge pool of experienced, talented ex-employees. Now, in the frantic race for AI dominance, they’re essentially fishing from that same pool. It’s a classic case of corporate whiplash. The market shifts, you cut to please shareholders, then the next big thing explodes and you desperately need the exact talent you just let go. So you pay a premium to get them back. It’s inefficient, expensive, and probably a bit awkward for everyone involved. But when you need top-tier AI talent now, you do what you have to do.
What’s The Real Draw?
John Casey’s point about “deep pockets and hefty computational infrastructure” is key. For an AI researcher, access to vast clusters of GPUs and TPUs is like a painter needing the best brushes and canvas. You can’t do groundbreaking work on a laptop. Smaller startups might have great ideas, but they can’t match the raw, physical compute power of a Google or an OpenAI. That’s a massive moat. So, a developer might leave for a hot startup or a competitor, but if they hit a resource wall, the siren call of virtually unlimited processing power is hard to resist. Basically, Google isn’t just selling a job; they’re selling access to one of the most powerful AI labs on the planet.
A Broader Industry Trend
And Google isn’t alone. This is part of a bigger shift. Data from ADP Research shows boomerang hiring is up across the board, with the information sector leading the charge. The tech job market isn’t the free-for-all it was in 2021, but for specialists in red-hot fields like AI, the power balance is still favorable. They can afford to move around, test new waters, and then return to a former employer with more leverage. For companies, it’s a faster, often safer bet than hiring a complete unknown. You already know their work ethic and how they navigate your corporate culture. It’s a low-risk, high-reward play in a high-stakes game.
The Talent Musical Chairs
So what does this mean for the industry? It signals a weird kind of talent consolidation at the very top. The giants with the infrastructure are becoming talent magnets, even for people who previously walked out the door. It creates a circulating elite of AI engineers bouncing between Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. For the broader market, it might make it harder for mid-tier companies or genuine startups to compete. If the best talent keeps boomeranging between the few companies that can afford the compute, does that stifle innovation elsewhere? It’s a question worth asking. The AI arms race isn’t just about models; it’s about the people who build them, and right now, the giants are using their checkbooks—and their server racks—to win them back.
