Cognition acquires Windsurf to integrate IDE with AI agent Devin, promoting synergy and innovation in AI-assisted coding.

In a surprising move, Cognition– the makers of autonomous coding tool Devin— acquired what was left of its rival Windsurf after the company’s cofounders Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen and other staff members were poached by Google DeepMind for $2.

Artificial intelligence (AI) coding startup Windsurf announced Monday that it was being acquired by Cognition, an AI peer based out of San Francisco, California. This comes close on the heels of Windsurf disclosing a licensing agreement with Alphabet,

Cognition said the deal structure eliminates existing vesting cliffs and provides accelerated vesting for current staff members, recognizing their contributions to building Windsurf's business foundation.

Microcap Cognition Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CGTX) has skyrocketed 35% in Thursday trading after stating the company had a positive end-of-phase 2 meeting with the U.S. FDA for the oral Alzheimer's asset zervimesine and sees a path forward for a phase 3 program.

Goldman Sachs just hired its first AI coder: Goldman is the first major bank to try out Cognition's agentic AI coder, Devin, signaling a seismic shift in how finance works alongside software https://t.co/5CEvbmAPWX pic.twitter.com/Yngj54XCyF — Quartz (@qz) July 11, 2025