Google Signs Talent Deal with Mechanize, Valued at $1.5B

Google has completed a talent deal with Mechanize, a $1.5 billion company that was previously rumored to be acquired by Alphabet. According to Business Insider, Google signed a licensing agreement with Mechanize, bringing on board its co-founder and former CEO Tamay Besiroglu, as well as 12+ employees who will work at DeepMind.

The deal does not involve the acquisition of Mechanize, but rather a talent acquisition that includes licenses and related economic terms. This pattern is consistent with other companies like Virtue AI, which had a similar talent deal before being acquired by Fortinet.

As a result, Mechanize remains an independent company with its hiring and product development ongoing. The initial reports of the $1.5 billion acquisition were incorrect, as the actual figures referred to talks covering hiring, licenses, and related economics, not a disclosed company purchase price.