Cognition acquires AI coding IDE "Windsurf" — right after Google's talent poach
Cognition, the company behind Devin, announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire the AI coding IDE “Windsurf.” The announcement came just days after Google poached Windsurf’s CEO and other executives as part of a $2.4 billion licensing deal, sending shockwaves through the industry.
Details
- Scope of the acquisition: Covers Windsurf’s IP, product, trademarks, and brand, along with bringing on the remaining team members
- Windsurf’s business scale: Annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $82 million, with enterprise ARR growing at a pace that doubled every quarter. More than 350 enterprise customers and daily active users in the hundreds of thousands
- Treatment of employees: Offered all Windsurf employees favorable terms, including financial participation in the deal, accelerated vesting of existing equity, and removal of vesting cliffs
- Strategic intent: Cognition’s Scott Wu said this was “a major move combining Devin, the leader in fully autonomous agents, with Windsurf’s proven IDE and go-to-market foundation”
- Background: Just before this, Google had carried out a “reverse acqui-hire,” poaching Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan and its co-founders and research leaders, leaving the treatment of the roughly 250 remaining team members under close watch
What happened next
After the acquisition, Windsurf continued to operate independently for the time being under Cognition, while integration of the two companies’ capabilities proceeded. In July 2026, marking one year since the acquisition, the companies reflected on that year’s progress, including the evolution toward a unified “Devin Desktop” bringing both brands together and the rollout of the in-house SWE-1.5 through 1.7 models.