Google’s DeepMind is using aggressive UK noncompete clauses to retain top AI talent, even if it means paying them to do nothing

In the escalating AI arms race, Google appears to be opting for silence over defection. Its DeepMind division has reportedly been paying some of its top AI talent not to work — simply to prevent them from joining rival companies like OpenAI or Microsoft.

According to a Business Insider investigation, DeepMind has adopted “aggressive” noncompete agreements in the United Kingdom, forcing certain staff to sit out for up to a year before they’re allowed to work elsewhere. The twist? These employees are still drawing salaries during this forced downtime, essentially enjoying a year-long paid leave — albeit involuntarily.

The revelation underscores the ferocious competition for AI talent as tech giants pour billions into artificial intelligence development. With breakthroughs happening almost weekly, AI specialists are becoming some of the most sought-after professionals in tech. And companies like Google are doing everything they can to keep them from crossing over to the other side.

While noncompete clauses are banned or limited in places like California, they remain enforceable in the UK. Google confirmed to Business Insider that it uses these agreements “selectively,” though it declined to answer queries from TechCrunch.

The practice has reportedly left some staff frustrated. While technically on paid time off, these researchers are disconnected from the front lines of AI innovation — a tough pill to swallow in a fast-moving field. The year-long hiatus can stall careers, especially when AI breakthroughs often hinge on timing, publication, and collaboration.

That sentiment was echoed last month when a Microsoft AI executive posted on X (formerly Twitter) that DeepMind staff were contacting him “in despair” over their inability to exit their roles due to noncompete restrictions. Though not naming names, the implication was clear: morale among some Google AI staff is sinking under the weight of contractual chains.

For Google, however, it may seem a price worth paying. Letting top-tier talent walk out the door — and into the arms of OpenAI, Microsoft, or Anthropic — could mean not only losing expertise but empowering direct competitors in the most high-stakes tech race of the decade.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, retention tactics are growing more extreme, and the old Silicon Valley ethos of open talent mobility is facing a hard reality check. With noncompetes under increasing scrutiny around the globe, and calls for reform gaining traction, Google’s current strategy may not hold for long.

But for now, DeepMind is sending a clear message to its elite researchers: you’re free to leave the building, but not the battlefield — at least, not without waiting a year.