Varun Mohan, a first-generation American of Indian origin, has emerged as a powerful force in the AI and developer tools space. From founding the billion-dollar startup Windsurf to now working at Google DeepMind, his journey is marked by growth, innovation, and controversy.
Varun Mohan – Biography
| Name | Varun Mohan |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997, Sunnyvale, California, USA |
| Nationality | American (of Indian origin) |
| Profession | Former CEO of Windsurf , Present – Google DeepMind |
| Education | B.S. & M.Eng. in EECS (MIT) |
Varun Mohan – Early Life and Education
Varun Mohan – Internship Experience
Varun Mohan – Early Career
Varun Mohan – Founding Windsur
Moved to Google DeepMind
Varun Mohan – Controversy and Backlash
Varun Mohan – Early Life and Education
Varun Mohan is the co-founder and former CEO of Windsurf, an AI-powered development tool startup. He was born and raised in Sunnyvale, California, to Indian immigrant parents. A technologist at heart, Mohan built a strong career across leading tech firms before launching Windsurf. In July 2025, he joined Google DeepMind following a high-profile bidding war between tech giants.Early Life and Education
Mohan grew up in Sunnyvale. His parents moved from India to the United States before his birth. He attended The Harker School in San Jose. There, he showed remarkable skill in mathematics and computer science. He took part in Olympiad contests and did well.
He went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, he earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
During his time at MIT, Mohan focused on operating systems, algorithms, distributed computing and machine learning.
Varun Mohan – Internship Experience
Mohan spent four years as a student intern at top tech companies. In 2016, he interned at Quora. He also worked with LinkedIn, Samsung, Cloudian, and Databricks. These roles gave him solid experience in data systems, machine learning, cloud storage and infrastructure.
Varun Mohan – Early Career
After graduating, Mohan joined Nuro, a company working on autonomous vehicles. He began as a software engineer in early 2018. He rose to lead autonomy infrastructure and later became a Tech Lead Manager by 2020. His work there strengthened his understanding of large-scale software systems.
Varun Mohan – Founding Windsurf
In June 2021, Mohan and MIT colleague Douglas Chen co‑founded a startup first named Codeium. It was later rebranded as Windsurf.
Windsurf set out to build an AI‑powered integrated development environment (IDE) for developers. It focused on creating “Cascade”, a voice‑enabled coding assistant. This tool lets programmers write, test and refine code through natural language prompts.
The platform quickly grew. It attracted more than one million users within months. Windsurf raised about $240–243 million and earned a valuation near $1.25 billion. It became one of the rising stars in AI developer tools.
StartupTalkyNitin Konde
The Billion‑Dollar Bids
By mid‑2025, Windsurf drew serious interest from both OpenAI and Google. OpenAI advanced talks to buy the company for a reported $3 billion. Google countered by making a $2.4 billion non‑exclusive licensing deal with Windsurf. The company did not acquire equity or control; instead, Google secured rights to use the AI tech and brought in key staff.
Moved to Google DeepMind
In July 2025, Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and several of Windsurf’s top engineers transitioned to Google DeepMind. Their new role focuses on building AI systems that support coding tasks under DeepMind’s Gemini programme.
Following their exit, Windsurf remained active as a separate company. The firm’s assets, including technology, products, and engineering resources, were acquired by Cognition AI. With this shift, business head Jeff Wang stepped in as interim CEO. The move was backed by prominent investors, including Khosla Ventures and Founders Fund, allowing Windsurf to continue operations under new leadership.
StartupTalkyNitin Konde
Varun Mohan – Controversy and Backlash
The shift to Google provoked a strong reaction. Critics accused Mohan of abandoning his team and disrupting a potential OpenAI deal. Some called his actions a “betrayal”. Vinod Khosla, a prominent investor, was vocal about his thoughts on the social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). He said Mohan and his co‑founder were “bad examples” and that he “definitely would not work with their founders next time.”
Online commentary was sharp. One critic even called Mohan a “generational villain”. Others accused him of ignoring his team’s future while securing a personal windfall. Defenders noted that Windsurf did find another lifeline through Cognition. Jeff Wang and other executives have kept operations running. But Mohan’s reputation in parts of the tech world has suffered.
Final Thoughts
Varun Mohan has reached the top levels of AI quickly. He built strong technical credentials and a billion‑dollar startup. His move to Google DeepMind came amid fierce industry rivalries. That move brought both praise for his vision and criticism for how it affected his team.
He now leads advanced AI work at DeepMind. His long‑term aim is to change how code is written and tested. At age 28, he remains a major figure in AI infrastructure, though his reputation bears deep scars from recent events.
FAQs
Who is Varun Mohan?
Varun Mohan is a first-generation American entrepreneur and AI expert of Indian origin. He is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Windsurf, a billion-dollar AI coding startup. He is currently working at Google DeepMind.
What led Varun Mohan to join Google DeepMind?
In July 2025, Varun Mohan joined Google DeepMind after Google made a $2.4 billion licensing deal with Windsurf.
What does Varun Mohan do at Google DeepMind now?
At Google DeepMind, Varun Mohan leads a team working on agentic coding systems—AI tools that can write, debug, and test code with minimal human input.
Original Article
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