Topline E118: Did Windsurf Screw 200+ Employees for $2.4B ft. Carta's Peter Walker
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Jul 20, 2025 Peter Walker, Chief Insight Officer at Carta, dives into the whirlwind events surrounding Windsurf's near-acquisition by OpenAI and the subsequent $2.4 billion Google offer. He unpacks the ethics of talent-first extractions and discusses what founders owe to their teams. The conversation navigates the current volatility in AI markets and the significance of recurring revenue. Walker also highlights the challenges startups face regarding employee morale and trust, all while contemplating whether we’re heading toward another financial bubble.
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Talent-First Acquisition Shift
- Windsurf's M&A shows a new talent-first acquisition trend, focusing more on key employees than tech or customers.
- This marks a major shift where acquiring teams outpaces acquiring technology in startup deals.
CEO Responsibility in Acquisitions
- CEOs making billions can neglect employees in acquisitions, but could allocate some of the payout to care for their team.
- Such care builds loyalty and fairness, especially when employees helped create the company's success.
Employees' Emotional Rollercoaster
- Windsurf employees left behind by the Google deal described it as the craziest 72 hours of their lives.
- Despite the chaos, they remained positive after Cognition stepped in to acquire the remaining team.