For a full year, Google’s AI engineers were paid to do nothing at all: This is what transpired.

Not everyone is happy about the paid time off, but some may be envious.

Google maintains that it is following the law.

Google is allegedly paying some of its AI engineers to stay on the sidelines for a full year, which is a plot twist that sounds more like a Silicon Valley sitcom than a real-world HR policy. Four former DeepMind employees reportedly told Business Insider that staff members in the UK were placed on “extended garden leave” due to their stringent noncompete agreements.

To put it another way, even though these former workers have officially left the company, Google is still paying them for a full year as long as they don’t work for or share their subject-matter expertise with any other organizations.

Noncompete agreements are common in employment contracts, particularly in the technology industry. They are intended to safeguard business secrets and prevent employees from leaving the company with confidential information. However, these provisions differ according to strategic relevance and seniority. Two of the four former employees claimed that some developers connected to DeepMind’s Gemini AI project are benched for a full year, despite the fact that six-month noncompetes are standard at the company.

Not everyone is happy about the paid time off, but some may be envious. According to a former engineer, “a year is forever in the world of AI,” according to a report by Business Insider.

In contrast, Google maintains that it is following the law. Business Insider was informed by the tech giant that its contracts are “in line with market standards.” However, several DeepMind veterans disagree, calling the policy unduly restrictive.

This disclosure coincides with widespread layoffs at tech behemoths like Microsoft, Google, and Meta making headlines. In March alone, up to 8,500 tech workers were let go. Additionally, some AI engineers are still getting paid well—for doing nothing at all—despite industry luminaries like Sam Altman and Jensen Huang suggesting that AI may eventually perform most tasks better than humans.