Cognition Acquires Windsurf Assets After Google Poaches AI Startup's CEO
Cognition is buying the intellectual property, brand, and remaining talent of Windsurf just days after Google hired the AI coding startup's CEO. The acquisition provides financial benefits to all remaining Windsurf employees, including fully accelerated vesting.
Artificial intelligence startup Cognition announces it is acquiring Windsurf's intellectual property, product, brand, and remaining talent. This move comes just days after Google poaches Windsurf's CEO Varun Mohan and several senior employees in a massive $2.4 billion deal. The abrupt acquisition highlights the intense ongoing talent war among top tech companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI.
Cognition CEO Scott Wu promises to treat all incoming Windsurf employees with transparency and respect, emphasizing that both teams are now in the same boat. As part of the transaction, Cognition waives vesting cliffs and provides fully accelerated vesting so that every Windsurf employee participates financially in the deal. Both AI coding startups share a common backer in Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.
The deal follows a collapsed $3 billion acquisition attempt by OpenAI in April, leaving Windsurf vulnerable before Google swooped in to hire its leadership. Cognition, which is famous for its AI software engineer named Devin, now absorbs Windsurf's technology to strengthen its position in the competitive AI coding market. Interim Windsurf CEO Jeff Wang expresses pride in his team for staying focused on users during the chaotic transition.