Cognition's acquisition of Windsurf

What happened, by date

17 dated entries from Apr 4, 2025 to Jul 14, 2026, each with its source.

1. Apr 4, 2025

   The company formally rebranded from Codeium to Windsurf, noting it began as Exafunction in 2021, focused on optimizing GPU workloads.

   Sources¹devin.ai
2. Apr 16, 2025

   Bloomberg and CNBC reported OpenAI was in talks to buy Windsurf for about $3 billion.

   Sources¹bloomberg.com²cnbc.com
3. May 6, 2025

   Bloomberg reported OpenAI had reached an agreement to buy Windsurf for about $3 billion.

   Sources¹bloomberg.com
4. Jul 11, 2025

   TechCrunch and Bloomberg reported OpenAI's $3 billion deal to acquire Windsurf had fallen apart.

   Sources¹techcrunch.com²bloomberg.com

   Google DeepMind hired CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen and some Windsurf researchers, and took a nonexclusive license to certain Windsurf technology; CNBC's source said Google was paying $2.4 billion in licensing fees and compensation.

   Sources¹techcrunch.com²cnbc.com

   Windsurf announced that Head of Business Jeff Wang had become interim CEO and VP of Global Sales Graham Moreno had become President.

   Sources¹devin.ai

   That Friday evening, Jeff Wang heard from Cognition executives Scott Wu and Russell Kaplan, according to TechCrunch; Cognition later described "a first call after 5 p.m. on a Friday".

   Sources¹techcrunch.com²cognition.com
5. 3 days laterJul 14, 2025

   The agreement was signed on Monday morning (TechCrunch reported 9:30 am), and Cognition announced a definitive agreement to acquire Windsurf that day.

   Sources¹techcrunch.com²cognition.com³cognition.com

   Cognition said the deal brought $82M of ARR and 350+ enterprise customers, and that 100% of Windsurf employees would participate financially, have vesting cliffs waived and receive fully accelerated vesting for their work to date.

   Sources¹cognition.com²techcrunch.com
6. Jul 2025

   Three days after the deal closed, Windsurf shipped Wave 11, which Cognition named "Just Keep Shipping".

   Sources¹cognition.com
7. Aug 5, 2025

   TechCrunch, citing The Information, reported Cognition laid off 30 Windsurf employees and offered the roughly 200 remaining a buyout of nine months' salary, with those staying reportedly expected to work six days in the office and more than 80 hours a week.

   Sources¹techcrunch.com
8. Sep 8, 2025

   Cognition said the Windsurf acquisition more than doubled its ARR and that combined enterprise ARR grew over 30% in the seven weeks after it.

   Sources¹cognition.com
9. Oct 29, 2025

   Cognition released its SWE-1.5 model, available in Windsurf.

   Sources¹cognition.com
10. 6 days laterNov 4, 2025

    Cognition announced Windsurf Codemaps, AI-annotated structured maps of code.

    Sources¹cognition.com
11. Apr 15, 2026

    Windsurf 2.0 built Devin into Windsurf, so users could plan locally and hand tasks to Devin in the cloud.

    Sources¹cognition.com
12. Jun 2, 2026

    Scott Wu and Jeff Wang announced Devin Desktop, "the next generation of Windsurf".

    Sources¹cognition.com
13. Jul 14, 2026

    In a one-year post, Scott Wu and Jeff Wang wrote that the team grew from 44 to 350 people and revenue run rate grew from $73M to $500M+ since merging the brands.

    Sources¹cognition.com

Where Windsurf's people went

One square per person at Windsurf in July 2025, by where they went then and where they are now, from each person's LinkedIn profile.

Who joined Cognition and is still there

51 people from Windsurf with a full profile, by team. 53 people in all went to Cognition and are still there.

Jeff WangPresident, New EnterpriseAt Windsurf: Head of BusinessFull profile →Jacob AddingtonRegional Director, Head of Healthcare & Life SciencesAt Windsurf: GTM - Strategic AccountsFull profile →Nick MimsGTMAt Windsurf: SDR ManagerFull profile →Sebastian CañizaresDirector of Sales, EnterpriseAt Windsurf: GTM Leader Full profile →Marcel SchwagerHead of Partnerships - Americas & EMEAPartnerships @ CognitionFull profile →Jia WuTeam Lead, Deployed EngineeringAt Windsurf: Deployed EngineerFull profile →Brian SmitchesLead Partner Deployed EngineerAt Windsurf: Lead, Partner Deployed EngineerFull profile →Prem NairMember of Technical StaffAt Windsurf: Software EngineerFull profile →Sean SullivanEngineerAt Windsurf: Software Engineering ContractorFull profile →Cheng-Yuan LeeMember of Technical StaffAt Windsurf: Software Engineer InternFull profile →Ray WangML EngineerAt Windsurf: ML EngineerFull profile →Matthew VanderwerfMember of Technical StaffAt Windsurf: Production EngineerFull profile →Vanessa SalasDeployed EngineerAt Windsurf: Deployed Engineer Full profile →Numair BaseerDeployed Engineering Leader, HLSAt Windsurf: Lead Deployed EngineerFull profile →Gina WangDeployed EngineerAt Windsurf: Deployed EngineerFull profile →Matt BerglandDeveloper Marketing, Events & Special ProjectsAt Windsurf: CommunityFull profile →Hannah Miller-JonesGTM Talent Acquisition LeadAt Windsurf: Director of Sales DevelopmentFull profile →

Who left Cognition since

41 people went from Windsurf to Cognition and have since left, latest first, with where they work now.

Where they went next

Parallel Web Systems5BCLTALDFGraham Moreno

Google2WCEA

OpenAI2AHSBSatwik Bebortha

SpaceX Super Intelligence2Chris DiazRG

Everyone who left

• ASAdam StroussAdam StroussAt Windsurf: Head of FinanceCurrent employer not foundLeft Oct 2026¹linkedin.com
• ZDZach DiamondAt Windsurf: Head of Revenue Marketing (Acquired by Cognition)RoadrunnerRevenue MarketingLeft Sep 2026¹linkedin.com
• KGKushaal GajavellyAt Windsurf: Software EngineerUnsiloed AI (YC F25)Founding Software EngineerLeft Aug 2026¹linkedin.com
• GCGary (Bin) ChangGary (Bin) ChangAt Windsurf: ML EngineeringRiver AIGPU BurnerLeft Jul 2026¹linkedin.com
• LPLuke PageAt Windsurf: Windsurf GTMLiteLLM AI GatewayEnterprise Account ExecutiveLeft Jul 2026¹linkedin.com
• AHAnke HaoAt Windsurf: Deployed EngineerOpenAIDeployed EngineerLeft Jun 2026¹linkedin.com
• BCBen Carpenter-NwanyanwuAt Windsurf: Windsurfing @ Windsurf Parallel Web SystemsBuilding the Internet for AgentsLeft Jun 2026¹linkedin.com
• LTLainey TagliaferriAt Windsurf: GTMParallel Web SystemsGTMLeft May 2026¹linkedin.com
• PDPaxton DuffAt Windsurf: GTMGolden Geese RecruitingCo-Founder and CEOLeft May 2026¹linkedin.com
• ALAlex LaubscherAt Windsurf: Field CTOParallel Web SystemsField CTOLeft Apr 2026¹linkedin.com
• SFSam FoucaultAt Windsurf: GTMLight LabsGTMLeft Apr 2026¹linkedin.com
• SBSatwik BeborthaSatwik BeborthaAt Windsurf: Team Lead, Deployed EngineeringOpenAIMember of GTM StaffLeft Apr 2026¹linkedin.com

Who went elsewhere

18 people went from Windsurf to Google in July 2025, including Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen, shown with where each works now.

To Google

• VMVarun MohanAt Windsurf: Co-Founder and CEOGoogle DeepMindEngineer¹linkedin.com²devin.ai³techcrunch.com⁴cnbc.com
• DCDouglas ChenAt Windsurf: Co-FounderGoogle DeepMindSoftware Engineering¹linkedin.com²devin.ai³techcrunch.com⁴cnbc.com
• KHKevin HouAt Windsurf: Head of Product EngineeringGoogle DeepMindSoftware Engineer¹linkedin.com²developers.googleblog.com³x.com
• ARAnshul RamachandranAt Windsurf: Founding TeamGoogle DeepMindProduct¹linkedin.com
• RNRitam NagAt Windsurf: Software EngineerGoogle DeepMindSoftware Engineer¹linkedin.com
• TMTamara MitrovskaAt Windsurf: Software EngineerGoogle DeepMindSoftware Engineer¹linkedin.com
• MRMehul RahejaAt Windsurf: Software EngineerSpaceXAISoftware Engineer¹linkedin.com
• NJNick JiangAt Windsurf: Software EngineerGoogle DeepMindSenior Staff Software Engineer¹linkedin.com
• RMRonak MaldeAt Windsurf: AI ResearchTrajectoryCo-Founder¹linkedin.com
• ANAmit NarangAt Windsurf: EngineeringGoogle DeepMindResearch¹linkedin.com
• BHBrian HsuAt Windsurf: Machine Learning ResearcherGoogle DeepMindSenior Software Engineer¹linkedin.com
• NMNicholas MoyAt Windsurf: Head of ResearchGoogle DeepMindResearch¹linkedin.com

In their own words

13 quotes, verbatim, with the date and a link to each.

What happened to Windsurf

Windsurf kept shipping under its own name, added Devin inside Windsurf 2.0 in April 2026, and on 2026-06-02 Cognition announced Devin Desktop as "the next generation of Windsurf", backwards-compatible with Windsurf.

Cognition's other acquisitions

• Apr 29, 2026HavanaCognition's press release described Havana as a startup building AI agents; Havana's November 2025 release described an AI student recruitment platform for higher education.Open →
• Jul 20, 2026TierZeroTierZero makes "AI production agents that live in your stack, solve problems automatically, and get smarter with every issue they resolve."Open →
• Jul 23, 2026PokePoke is a personal agent that lives in your texts, per Cognition's announcement.Open →
• Sep 10, 2026Dioxus LabsDioxus Labs makes Dioxus, which its site calls a fullstack crossplatform app framework for Rust.Open →
• Oct 28, 2026CorridorForbes described Corridor's product as an AI system that watches AI and human coders and issues alerts when vulnerabilities arise as software is being written.Open →

How we made this

Research task Completed

Prompt

Enrich {name}, {title} at Cognition (Devin, Devin Desktop/Windsurf). Dig into what they've built or worked on at Cognition and how they got there, including any company Cognition acquired. Before Cognition, look for the specific teams, desks, labs and co-founders they worked with, and any olympiad, ICPC or training-camp history with teammates. Pull in their open source work and anything they've posted publicly about working at Cognition, quoted word for word. This is for a public page, so skip contact details.

Profiles on this page

61

Autumn research tasks

274

Sources

221