Cognition valued at $10.2 billion two months after Windsurf purchase
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Cognition valued at $10.2 billion two months after Windsurf purchase

Why This Matters

Two months after buying AI coding startup Windsurf, Cognition is being valued by investors at more than $10 billion.

September 8, 2025
09:50 PM
2 min read
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artificial intelligence company Cognition AI Inc.Timon Schneider | SOPA Images | Sipa USA | APCognition, the artificial intelligence startup that acquired Windsurf in July, said on Monday that it closed a $400 million funding round at valuation of $10.2 billion, which includes the fresh capital.The developer of an AI software engineer called Devin, Cognition was thrust into the spotlight two months ago, when it jumped in to buy Windsurf, days after that startup's founders and top reers left to join Google.Windsurf had been in talks with OpenAI a multibillion-dollar acquisition, but those talks fell apart, leading to the Google deal, which included a $2.4 billion payout from the giant for licensing fees and compensation."We'll continue to invest significantly in both Devin and Windsurf, and our customers are already seeing how powerful the combination is together," Cognition CEO Scott Wu wrote in Monday's blog post.The deal puts cognition into the $10 billion , joining a handful of other AI startups, most notably OpenAI and Anthropic.

Last week, Bret Taylor's AI startup Sierra raised $350 million at a $10 billion valuation.Peter Thiel's Founders Fund led Cognition's funding round, with additional funding coming from Lux Capital, 8VC and Bain Capital Ventures.Since acquiring Windsurf, Cognition's annual recurring revenue, or ARR, has more than doubled, Wu said.

Growth has also accelerated, he added, as the combined enterprise ARR is up more than 30% ing the acquisition.Jeff Wang, who became CEO at Windsurf after the founders left for Google, wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday that customers will benefit from the close connection between the companies' ducts."It's been quite an eventful last few months, and now it's time to show what we're made of," Wang wrote.WATCH: Google snatches Windsurf CEO after OpenAI deal dissolveswatch now2:2302:23Google snatches Windsurf CEO after OpenAI deal dissolvesCheck

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  • Merger activity often signals industry consolidation and potential valuation re-rating for similar companies

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  • Does this M&A activity signal industry consolidation or strategic repositioning?

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