Alphabet has hired key employees from AI startup Mechanize Inc., including co-founder and former CEO Tamay Besiroglu, who is now a research scientist at DeepMind. More than a dozen former Mechanize employees have also joined Google, most working on midtraining, a critical phase of chatbot development. The hires follow reported negotiations over a deal valued at more than $1.5 billion for Mechanize’s technology and staff. Mechanize, which focuses on improving AI coding performance, raised $9.1 million at a $500 million valuation earlier this year. Google has pursued similar talent arrangements with Windsurf and Contextual AI as competition in artificial intelligence intensifies.