Explore Cognition AI’s acquisition of Windsurf and its impact on AI, software development, and employee ownership in the tech industry.

Questions swirled about Windsurf's future after Google's surprise deal. Now, Windsurf will have a new owner.

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.

In an unexpected turn of events, artificial intelligence startup Cognition announced this week that it is acquiring AI coding startup Windsurf, just days after news that OpenAI’s planned $3 billion buy of Windsurf had fallen apart.

OpenAI is the world's leading AI startup. For how long will depend on how well it fends off multi-front attacks from competitors like Meta and Google.

From interning at five tech firms during college to building a billion-dollar AI startup, 28-year-old Varun Mohan’s journey triggered a ₹20,400 crore deal with Google after he rejected OpenAI’s ₹25,500 crore offer.