Google hasn’t just launched the Gemini 3 models today which had topped benchmarks, but it’s also made a play in the coding space.
Google has launched Google Antigravity, a new agentic development platform. Google Antigravity bills itself as an “agentic development platform” for the “agent-first era”. It is available for download for Windows, and comes with a free Individual plan.
The timing is particularly notable: Google launched Antigravity just days after investing in rival Cursor’s $2.3 billion Series D funding round, which valued the AI code editor at $29.3 billion. The dual strategy—investing in a competitor while launching a direct rival product—underscores both the strategic importance of AI coding tools and the complexity of Google’s position in this rapidly evolving market.
The Antigravity Platform: Agent-First Development
Google Antigravity’s Editor view offers tab autocompletion, natural language code commands, and a configurable, and context-aware configurable agent. It claims to provide a more intuitive task-based approach to monitoring agent activity, presenting users with essential artifacts and verification results to build trust. It allows users to manage multiple agents at the same time, across any workspace, from one central mission control view.
The free plan currently supports access to Gemini 3 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and GPT-OSS. It has unlimited tab completions, unlimited command requests, and “generous” rate limits.
The Windsurf Connection
Leading the Antigravity project is Varun Mohan, the former CEO and co-founder of Windsurf (formerly Codeium), who joined Google DeepMind in July 2025 as part of a controversial $2.4 billion talent acquisition. The deal saw Google hire Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and approximately 40 other Windsurf employees while securing a nonexclusive license to certain Windsurf technologies.
The acquisition followed the dramatic collapse of a $3 billion deal that would have seen OpenAI acquire Windsurf. That transaction fell apart reportedly due to concerns from Windsurf’s founders about Microsoft—OpenAI’s largest investor—gaining access to Windsurf’s technology, which would have positioned it as a direct competitor through GitHub Copilot.
Mohan, an MIT graduate, brought extensive experience in AI-powered development tools. Under his leadership, Windsurf had reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue within months of launch and attracted over one million developers to its platform. The remaining Windsurf entity was subsequently acquired by Cognition, maker of the Devin AI coding agent, for a reported $250 million.
Competitive Landscape: A Paradoxical Position
Google’s entry into the AI IDE market comes at a time when the company finds itself in an unusual competitive position. In November 2025—just days before Antigravity’s launch—Google participated as an investor in Cursor’s Series D funding round. The round, which also included Nvidia, Accel, Coatue, Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and DST Global, pushed Cursor’s valuation to $29.3 billion, nearly triple its $9.9 billion valuation from just five months earlier.
Cursor has emerged as the dominant player in AI-assisted coding, having crossed $1 billion in annualized revenue with millions of developers on its platform. The company’s Composer model generates more code than almost any other LLM globally, and its rapid ascent has made it one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in history.
Google’s decision to both invest in Cursor and launch a competing product reflects the strategic complexity of the AI coding market. The investment provides Google with visibility into market dynamics and ensures Gemini models remain integrated into leading platforms—Cursor uses AI models from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Meanwhile, Antigravity allows Google to maintain its own developer ecosystem and potentially capture enterprise customers who prefer first-party solutions.
Industry Implications
The competitive dynamics in AI coding tools have intensified dramatically throughout 2025. Microsoft has embedded AI deeply into Visual Studio Code with an agent mode for vibe coding, with CEO Satya Nadella revealing that AI now composes approximately 30% of Microsoft’s code. Anthropic’s Claude Code reportedly generated more than $500 million in run-rate revenue since its May 2025 launch. OpenAI introduced its own coding tool, Codex, after acquisition talks with both Windsurf and Cursor fell through.
The proliferation of AI coding tools raises questions about market saturation and differentiation. With major tech companies—Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Anthropic—all fielding competing products, and well-funded startups like Cursor commanding multi-billion dollar valuations, the market appears to be fragmenting even as it expands.
But Google’s launch of Antigravity, combined with its investment in Cursor, signals that the company views AI coding tools as strategically essential but remains uncertain about which approach will dominate. By maintaining both a proprietary platform and equity stakes in leading competitors, Google is hedging its bets while ensuring its Gemini models remain central to developer workflows regardless of which IDE prevails For now, Google has made its intentions clear: it will compete aggressively in AI coding tools, even as it maintains strategic investments in rivals. In the high-stakes race to define how software is built in the age of AI, Google is playing both sides of the board.