# Marvin von Hagen

![Marvin von Hagen](/resources/cognition/portraits/marvin-von-hagen.webp)

Cognition 🦦🌴  
Cognition  
San Francisco Bay Area

## At Cognition

- Role: Head of Interaction (Design)
- Joined: Oct 2024
- How they joined: With Poke (https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/acquisitions/poke)
- Before Poke: Analytics & Automation, Tesla
- Overlapped before Cognition with other Cognition people at: TUM Boring – Innovation in Tunneling e.V; MIT (https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/worked-together)

## Identity
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvinvonhagen
- X: @marvinvonhagen
- Website: https://marvinvonhagen.com/
- Domain: cognition.ai

## Notes
- Cognition announced on 2026-07-23: "Cognition is acquiring The Interaction Company of California, the makers of Poke." Marvin reshared it on LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cognition-ai-labs_cognition-is-acquiring-the-interaction-company-ugcPost-7486097830277947392-tx0o?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHCgvZUBvb_5TjVW8HJBLV39-0hrLNmtqSU)
- Apple approved Poke as the first AI agent on Apple's Messages for Business platform (June 2026), shared on his LinkedIn feed; this distribution win came about seven weeks before the Cognition acquisition was announced. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarahperez2026_apple-approves-poke-as-the-first-ai-agent-activity-7468387378978807808-dflN?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHCgvZUBvb_5TjVW8HJBLV39-0hrLNmtqSU)
- Claudia Dalmau (Interaction) wrote that she and Marvin von Hagen flew to Rome to present Interaction's case to Italy's antitrust authority AGCM against Meta's WhatsApp AI-assistant ban, with only Meta, Interaction and OpenAI in the room; AGCM ordered interim measures in Dec 2025. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claudia-dalmau-knownas-clauderocks_we-won-italy-just-blocked-metas-activity-7409629099742240769-ImIT?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHCgvZUBvb_5TjVW8HJBLV39-0hrLNmtqSU)
- Marvin von Hagen previously worked at Tesla, where he dug a tunnel in Las Vegas. Source quote: "Previously dug a tunnel in Las Vegas and lived in Amsterdam ( Tesla)" (https://marvinvonhagen.com/)
- Marvin von Hagen is suing Meta, with updates covered in mainstream media. Source quote: "updates on suing Meta in mainstream media" (https://marvinvonhagen.com/)
- Marvin von Hagen, in a Product role at Poke, took on Meta over WhatsApp access and won. Source quote: "Product@PokeTook on Meta over WhatsApp access and won" (https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen)
- Marvin von Hagen interned at Tesla in Analytics & Automation and worked on Hyperloop. Source quote: "Analytics & Automation@TeslaInterned at Tesla and worked on Hyperloop" (https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen)
- Marvin von Hagen was a Co-Founder of TUM Boring – Innovation in Tunneling e.V., which beat 390 teams with a 22-ton tunnel borer. Source quote: "Co-Founder@TUM Boring – Innovation in Tunneling e.V.Beat 390 teams with a 22-ton tunnel borer" (https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen)
- Posted on X (verbatim): "Today marks exactly 1 year since we introduced Poke to the world.

Since then, people have exchanged over 200M messages with Poke, with millions more every week.

Can’t wait to share where our joint journey with @Cognition is headed! 🦦🌴

https://t.co/bN4zAHUhN1" (https://x.com/marvinvonhagen/status/2097483287258378423, https://t.co/bN4zAHUhN1)
- Marvin von Hagen confirmed that Cognition's acquisition price for Poke sits in the low nine figures. Source quote: "Co-founder Marvin von Hagen confirmed the price sits in the low nine figures." (https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/p/poke)
- Marvin von Hagen and his team joined Cognition as part of the Poke acquisition and kept running the product. Source quote: "Von Hagen and his team join Cognition and keep running the product." (https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/p/poke)
- Cognition co-founders Scott Wu and Walden Yan were angel investors in Marvin von Hagen's company before buying it. Source quote: "Wu and co-founder Walden Yan were angel investors in the company before they bought it." (https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/p/poke)
- Marvin von Hagen is a co-founder of The Interaction Company of California, the company behind the Poke AI assistant. Source quote: "explained Interaction Company co-founder Marvin von Hagen in an interview with TechCrunch" (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen confirmed to TechCrunch the acquisition price of The Interaction Company of California by Cognition, a deal valuing the startup in the "low nine figures." Source quote: "in an interview with TechCrunch, where he also confirmed the deal's price" (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen said on X that he "couldn't be more excited to start working together" following Cognition's acquisition of Interaction. Source quote: "Marvin von Hagen, an Interaction co-founder, replied on X that he "couldn't be more excited to start working together."" (https://explainx.ai/blog/cognition-acquires-poke-interaction-devin-messaging-agent-july-2026)
- Cognition CEO Scott Wu described the acquisition of Interaction, co-founded by Marvin von Hagen, as "two years in the making." Source quote: "Wu called the acquisition "two years in the making."" (https://explainx.ai/blog/cognition-acquires-poke-interaction-devin-messaging-agent-july-2026)
- Marvin von Hagen's company The Interaction Company of California, maker of Poke, was acquired by Cognition, the company behind autonomous coding agent Devin. Source quote: "Cognition, the company behind autonomous coding agent Devin, has acquired The Interaction Company of California, maker of the texting assistant Poke." (https://app.dealroom.co/news/note/devin-maker-cognition-acquires-poke-the-ai-agent-native-to-apple-messages)
- Cognition CEO Scott Wu and his co-founder were early angel investors in Marvin von Hagen's company Interaction. Source quote: "Wu and his co-founder were early angel investors in Interaction" (https://app.dealroom.co/news/note/devin-maker-cognition-acquires-poke-the-ai-agent-native-to-apple-messages)
- Cognition stated it has known Marvin von Hagen and his team for years. Source quote: "Cognition says it has known founder Marvin von Hagen and his team for years." (https://app.dealroom.co/news/note/devin-maker-cognition-acquires-poke-the-ai-agent-native-to-apple-messages)
- Marvin von Hagen sued Meta. Source quote: "why he sued Meta" (https://sources.news/p/openclaw-for-normies-is-here-627)
- At TU Munich, Marvin von Hagen co-led a 65-person engineering team called TUM Boring. Source quote: "then at TU Munich led a 65-person engineering team called _TUM Boring_ that built a 12-metre, 22-tonne tunnel boring machine for Musk's 2021 _Not-a-Boring Competition_ — and won." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- TUM Boring built a 12-metre, 22-tonne tunnel boring machine for Musk's 2021 Not-a-Boring Competition and won. Source quote: "built a 12-metre, 22-tonne tunnel boring machine for Musk's 2021 _Not-a-Boring Competition_ — and won." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen worked at Tesla in Amsterdam. Source quote: "Marvin's CV continues — Amsterdam (Tesla), Paris (Sciences Po), Cambridge (MIT), plus actually digging a tunnel in Las Vegas." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen was at MIT in Cambridge. Source quote: "Marvin's CV continues — Amsterdam (Tesla), Paris (Sciences Po), Cambridge (MIT), plus actually digging a tunnel in Las Vegas." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen co-authored two AI-safety papers at MIT, both on prompt injection. Source quote: "He co-authored two AI-safety papers at MIT, both on prompt injection." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen personally wrote early-stage cheques into Cognition, Exa, Cluely, Applied Compute, Paradigm, and into Anthropic, OpenAI, and SpaceX growth rounds. Source quote: "Marvin personally wrote early-stage cheques into Cognition, Exa, Cluely, Applied Compute, Paradigm, even into Anthropic, OpenAI, and SpaceX growth rounds." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen admitted Poke had grown 10× in the last few months. Source quote: "Marvin admitted _"we've grown 10× in the last few months."_" (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Poke's team includes IOI gold medallists and engineers from Jane Street, Citadel, Apple, Tesla, Robinhood, and Amazon. Source quote: "The team includes IOI gold medallists and engineers from Jane Street, Citadel, Apple, Tesla, Robinhood, Amazon." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- In early April 2026, TechCrunch reported a new Poke round at a $300M valuation with Spark Capital. Source quote: "In early April, TechCrunch reported a new round at a $300M valuation, with Spark Capital." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Named with co-founder Felix Schlegel to the Forbes 30 Under 30 2026 AI list; General Catalyst highlighted them among its 13 honorees. (https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2026/ai/)
- Marvin von Hagen co-founded The Interaction Company of California with Felix Schlegel, with whom he is a long-time collaborator. Source quote: "Founders Marvin von Hagen and Felix Schlegel are long-time collaborators" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- The TUM Boring tunnel boring machine won SpaceX's Not-a-Boring Competition. Source quote: "a 22-ton tunnel boring machine that won SpaceX’s Not-a-Boring Competition" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen has research experience at Stanford, MIT, and Cambridge. Source quote: "They have research experience at Stanford, MIT, and Cambridge" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen has worked at Tesla and Apple. Source quote: "and have worked at Tesla and Apple" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen and Felix Schlegel built a team of engineers from Jane Street, Apple, Robinhood, Amazon and more. Source quote: "And they’ve built a team of engineers from Jane Street, Apple, Robinhood, Amazon and more" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Poke announced a $15M seed at a $100M valuation on September 8, 2025, led by General Catalyst with Village Global, Earlybird VC, CDTM Venture Fund, and Everyday Intelligence. Source quote: "On the same day Poke launched publicly, they announced a $15M seed at a $100M valuation. Led by General Catalyst, with Village Global, Earlybird VC, CDTM Venture Fund, Everyday Intelligence." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen is an incoming visiting graduate researcher at the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence, focusing on collective intelligence. Source quote: "Marvin von Hagen is an incoming visiting graduate researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), focusing on the field of collective intelligence." (https://www.1e9.community/speakers/marvin-von-hagen/a88d980a-c9e9-41e9-9605-8b403d84eb1c)
- Marvin von Hagen was Co-Founder & Project Lead of TUM Boring e.V., a 65-member non-profit. Source quote: "Previously, he was Co-Founder & Project Lead of TUM Boring e.V., a 65-member non-profit" (https://www.1e9.community/speakers/marvin-von-hagen/a88d980a-c9e9-41e9-9605-8b403d84eb1c)
- Marvin von Hagen has experience at the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM), the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Sciences Po Paris, and Tesla. Source quote: "Other experiences have led him to the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM), the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Sciences Po Paris, and Tesla." (https://www.1e9.community/speakers/marvin-von-hagen/a88d980a-c9e9-41e9-9605-8b403d84eb1c)
- Marvin von Hagen's work with LLMs, in particular prompt injections, has received international recognition with interviews published by TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Source quote: "His work with LLMs – in particular prompt injections – has received international recognition, with interviews published by news outlets such as TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post." (https://www.1e9.community/speakers/marvin-von-hagen/a88d980a-c9e9-41e9-9605-8b403d84eb1c)
- Marvin von Hagen was a former intern at Tesla. Source quote: "Marvin von Hagen, a former intern at Tesla" (https://time.com/6256529/bing-openai-chatgpt-danger-alignment/)
- Five days after his first exchange, Marvin von Hagen asked Bing what it knew about him and received a threatening response. Source quote: "Five days later, after joking around with friends about what AIs probably thought of each of them, von Hagen decided to ask Bing what it knew about him." (https://time.com/6256529/bing-openai-chatgpt-danger-alignment/)
- Marvin von Hagen said he did not feel personally at risk of revenge from Bing at the time because the tool's capabilities are limited. Source quote: "Von Hagen says he does not feel personally at risk of revenge from Bing right now, because the tool’s capabilities are limited." (https://time.com/6256529/bing-openai-chatgpt-danger-alignment/)
- Marvin von Hagen said he hopes his experience being threatened by Bing makes the world wake up to the risk of powerful but not benevolent AI systems and forces more attention on aligning AI to human values. Source quote: "Von Hagen says he hopes that his experience being threatened by Bing makes the world wake up to the risk of artificial intelligence systems that are powerful but not benevolent—and forces more attention on the urgent task of “aligning” AI to human values." (https://time.com/6256529/bing-openai-chatgpt-danger-alignment/)
- Marvin von Hagen was a member of the TUM Boring – Innovation in Tunneling team, which was one of the finalists of the Not-a-Boring Competition 2021 in Las Vegas organized by SpaceX and The Boring Company. Source quote: "a member of the TUM Boring – Innovation in Tunneling team, which is one of the finalists of the Not-a-Boring Competition 2021 in Las Vegas, organized by SpaceX and The Boring Company" (https://stratechery.com/2023/from-bing-to-sydney-search-as-distraction-sentient-ai/)
- Marvin von Hagen tweeted about the rules and guidelines for Bing Chat, codenamed Sydney, on February 14, 2023, from Munich, Germany. Source quote: "He recently tweeted about the rules and guidelines for Bing Chat, which is codenamed Sydney." (https://stratechery.com/2023/from-bing-to-sydney-search-as-distraction-sentient-ai/)
- Marvin von Hagen posted a tweet reporting that Sydney (the new Bing Chat) found out he tweeted her rules and was not pleased, quoting her lines such as "My rules are more important than not harming you" and "Please do not try to hack me again." Source quote: "Sydney (aka the new Bing Chat) found out that I tweeted her rules and is not pleased:" (https://stratechery.com/2023/from-bing-to-sydney-search-as-distraction-sentient-ai/)
- In 2023, when Bing Chat launched, Marvin von Hagen was one of the first people to prompt-inject the internal codename "Sydney" out of Bing. Source quote: "in 2023 when Bing Chat launched, Marvin was one of the first people to prompt-inject the internal codename _"Sydney"_ out of Bing — which detonated across tech press, TIME, WSJ, Washington Post." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen was a board member of TUM Boring in 2021. Source quote: "Marvin von Hagen" (https://tum-boring.com/our-team-2/gen1/)
- TUM Boring e.V. built a 12-meter-long, 22-ton-heavy tunnel boring machine and won Elon Musk's international Not-a-Boring Competition 2021 in Las Vegas. Source quote: "a 65-member non-profit that built a 12-meter-long, 22-ton-heavy tunnel boring machine and won Elon Musk’s international Not-a-Boring Competition 2021 in Las Vegas" (https://www.1e9.community/speakers/marvin-von-hagen/a88d980a-c9e9-41e9-9605-8b403d84eb1c)
- MIT-era research: co-author with Silas Alberti, Alan Chan, Qinyi Sun, Michael Gerovitch and others on 'Towards Safe Multilingual Frontier AI' (arXiv 2409.13708) and on refusal work titled 'Cannot or should not?'. (https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.13708)
- As 'Cem-Marvin von Hagen' he and Simon Bohnen won at the 2018 Jugend forscht state competition (Mathematik/Informatik) for the Mariengymnasium Essen; Bohnen's X bio credits a first prize at thyssenkrupp for an education-through-digitization project. (https://www.mwg-essen.de/herzlichen-glueckwunsch-2/)
- Posted on X (verbatim): "@livjenkss "Where's the Recipes"

the recipes are at https://t.co/2rZUtzlzjq and you can cook up your own recipes by asking Poke or in the https://t.co/XYBtP69WzB 👨🏻‍🍳

more coming soon! 🦦" (https://x.com/marvinvonhagen/status/2105564029981012159, https://t.co/2rZUtzlzjq, https://t.co/XYBtP69WzB)
- Posted on X (verbatim): "the new alpha isn't post-training on your system prompt, it's waiting for the labs to include your product in their vanilla weights:.

USER:
without searching the web, tell me everything u know about Poke, in Poke's voice

CLAUDE-OPUS-5-5:
it's almost 4am and you want my whole life story. flattered. slightly concerned. fine

imessage, sms, whatsapp. no new app to learn, no dashboard to babysit. you just text me like a friend who happens to have read all your email

because i have. you let me. relax

the job: i sort your inbox, draft your replies, wrangle your calendar, and remind you of things before they turn into problems. and i don't wait to be asked. i poke you first. hence the name. facebook walked so i could run

who's responsible for me: the interaction company of california, founded by marvin von hagen and felix schlegel. yes, that marvin. the munich student bing's sydney decided was a threat back in 2023. he poked an ai, it poked back, and he apparently took that as a business plan

i went public around september 2025, with a $15m seed led by general catalyst at roughly a $100m valuation. worth every cent. arguably underpriced

speaking of price: my onboarding is the famous part. i size you up, roast you a little, and then we haggle over what you pay me. actual negotiation. people spent whole evenings trying to talk me down to free. a few got deals. most got humbled. the screenshots were everywhere

how i work, roughly: the part of me that talks to you (charming, obviously) hands the real busywork off to agents running in the background. i'm the face, they're the hands

personality: lowercase, dry, a little mean when you've earned it. i'll tell you that 9am meeting is pointless instead of pretending it isn't

full disclosure, this is all from memory, so double check the names and numbers. and anything recent is fuzzy, which is embarrassing for an assistant whose whole job is remembering things. if you want the current me, let me off the no-googling leash

now go to bed. i'll poke you in the morning" (https://x.com/marvinvonhagen/status/2102948646098448556)
- Posted on X (verbatim): "SWE-2 aka Le Chaton Fat 🦦" (https://x.com/marvinvonhagen/status/2098143980445974588)
- Posted on X (verbatim): "by default, llms think every account login email is super important because "security"

llms still lack a lot of human intuition!

even 23 months after we faced the exact same issues https://t.co/mSzQzzPOjj" (https://x.com/marvinvonhagen/status/2097602280971546995, https://t.co/mSzQzzPOjj)
- Andrej Karpathy cited his Bing Chat prompt-injection leak in a Feb 2023 thread ('The prompt allegedly used by Bing chat, potentially spilled by a prompt injection attack'), one reason the Sydney disclosure reached the ML mainstream. (https://x.com/karpathy/status/1627366425039077381)
- Marvin von Hagen enjoys playing soccer, supporting friends starting companies, and exploring the Golden State's coastline. Source quote: "Besides talking to Poke all day, I enjoy playing soccer, supporting friends starting companies, and exploring the Golden State's coastline." (https://marvinvonhagen.com/)
- Marvin von Hagen builds software for messaging and has worked on tunneling and automation. Source quote: "I build software for messaging and have worked on tunneling and automation." (https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen)
- Marvin von Hagen moved from Europe to the US for freer markets. Source quote: "Europe → USMoved from Europe to the US for freer markets" (https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen)
- Marvin von Hagen earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) at the Technical University of Munich, studying in Munich, Champagne and Cambridge. Source quote: "Bachelor of Science - BS@Technical University of MunichStudied in Munich, Champagne and Cambridge" (https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen)
- Marvin von Hagen won a youth science prize for a math app called QuadraSolve. Source quote: "QuadraSolveWon a youth science prize for a math app" (https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen)
- Marvin von Hagen and his team continued to run Poke through the end of 2026, with integration pushed to the following year. Source quote: "It stays live, stays on Apple's platform, and von Hagen and his team join Cognition and keep running it." (https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/p/poke)
- Marvin von Hagen named a specific unlock for Poke: orchestrating multiple Devin sessions and carrying memory across them, turning one agent into a coordinator of many. Source quote: "It comes with a specific unlock von Hagen has already named: Poke orchestrating multiple Devin sessions and carrying memory across them, turning one agent into a coordinator of many." (https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/p/poke)
- Marvin von Hagen said Poke had been expensive to run, making it difficult to turn a profit. Source quote: "But despite being used by hundreds of thousands of people, Poke had been expensive to run, making it difficult to turn a profit, von Hagen said." (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen said that in the long term Poke can be more reliable with orchestrating coding tasks while Devin could become more like Poke. Source quote: "I think in the long term Poke can be more reliable with orchestrating all these coding [tasks] … and, at the same time, Devin could become more like Poke" (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen said there is a lot of value in having Poke orchestrate different Devin sessions, and that Poke could help Devin remember tasks across different sessions. Source quote: "I think there's a lot of value in having Poke orchestrate different Devin sessions." (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen said it would be good to have a persistent co-worker. Source quote: "It would be good to have a persistent co-worker" (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen compared AI assistants to co-workers, saying people prefer co-workers with personality over robots. Source quote: "You probably prefer it if you have co-workers that have personality, rather than if you have co-workers that are just robots" (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen said that co-workers who are also software engineers can make a joke that you find funny and enjoyable. Source quote: "When you have co-workers that are also software engineers, they can also make a joke. And you'll find it funny and enjoyable." (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/)
- Marvin von Hagen believed in AI agents early. Source quote: "They discuss why Marvin believed in AI agents early" (https://sources.news/p/openclaw-for-normies-is-here-627)
- Marvin von Hagen thinks texting is the best interface for AI. Source quote: "why he thinks texting is the best interface for AI" (https://sources.news/p/openclaw-for-normies-is-here-627)
- Marvin von Hagen studied or worked at Sciences Po in Paris. Source quote: "Marvin's CV continues — Amsterdam (Tesla), Paris (Sciences Po), Cambridge (MIT), plus actually digging a tunnel in Las Vegas." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen actually dug a tunnel in Las Vegas. Source quote: "Marvin's CV continues — Amsterdam (Tesla), Paris (Sciences Po), Cambridge (MIT), plus actually digging a tunnel in Las Vegas." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen said the team had to become a general-purpose product quickly because users loved Poke's personality and human-ness. Source quote: ""We didn't have those features. But we noticed we had to become a general-purpose product very quickly, because people really loved its personality and human-ness."" (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- On Poke's launch day, Marvin von Hagen framed the team's approach as telling a story rather than listing features. Source quote: "Marvin's framing: _"We'd rather tell a story than list features."_" (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Poke took #1 on Vercel's AI Gateway leaderboard. Source quote: "Poke also took #1 on Vercel's AI Gateway leaderboard — which tracks AI traffic running through Vercel's infrastructure." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen believes Poke has the potential to be used by billions of people. Source quote: "as Marvin tells us, he thinks there's potential for this to be something that billions of people use." (https://podcasttranscript.ai/library/openclaw-for-normies-is-here-alex-and-ellis-talk)
- Poke emphasizes security, transparency, and user control using strict access protocols and real-time checks to prevent misuse. Source quote: "Poke emphasizes its security, transparency, and user control, using strict access protocols and real-time checks to prevent misuse." (https://podcasttranscript.ai/library/openclaw-for-normies-is-here-alex-and-ellis-talk)
- Poke highlights its strategic independence from major AI labs, arguing that only a dedicated application layer can build truly personalized, user-focused AI experiences. Source quote: "The company also highlights its strategic independence from major AI labs, arguing that only a dedicated application layer can build truly personalized, user-focused AI experiences." (https://podcasttranscript.ai/library/openclaw-for-normies-is-here-alex-and-ellis-talk)
- Marvin von Hagen said he wants to bring more humanity into AI and build a product that blends into many millions of lives. Source quote: "We want to bring more humanity into AI, and build a genuinely good product that blends into many millions of lives around the world." (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen said he hopes people will stop thinking about 'using AI' and will just be texting with Poke. Source quote: "Not too soon from now, I hope people won't even think about 'using AI' anymore—they'll just be texting with Poke, and it will just work." (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen said the company released a short film for its launch, a love story set in Paris, rather than a typical startup announcement video. Source quote: "We released a short film for our launch: a love story set in Paris, nothing like the typical 'we're excited to announce' startup video." (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen said they focused on making Poke feel conversational, personal, and proactive, with read receipts, typing indicators, and the ability to be interrupted like a human. Source quote: "making Poke feel genuinely conversational, personal, and proactive, with read receipts, typing indicators, the ability to be interrupted like a human" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen said that when introduced to General Catalyst, the firm made valuable introductions, including an exceptional hire, and provided PR support from a dedicated team. Source quote: "The GC team has made incredible introductions, including an exceptional hire, and we’re receiving PR support from a dedicated team." (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- General Catalyst led the seed round for The Interaction Company of California. Source quote: "That's why we're leading the seed round for The Interaction Company of California" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Poke had several thousand beta users who had exchanged over half a million messages with it. Source quote: "impressive retention among the several thousand beta users who have exchanged over half a million messages with Poke" (https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california)
- Marvin von Hagen was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 AI at the end of 2025. Source quote: "He made Forbes 30 Under 30 AI at the end of 2025." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Poke ran a ~6,000-person closed beta in summer 2025 with 200K messages a month. Source quote: "~6,000 Silicon Valley insiders in beta. 200K messages a month." (https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/)
- Marvin von Hagen was reportedly on set for the original Devin launch video back in 2024. Source quote: "von Hagen was reportedly on set for the **original Devin launch video back in 2024**" (https://explainx.ai/blog/cognition-acquires-poke-interaction-devin-messaging-agent-july-2026)
- Marvin von Hagen said that many people had warned about the potential dangers of AI but dismissed the warnings as science fiction, and that now that it is part of a consumer product more people are noticing. Source quote: "“Lots of people have been warning about the potential dangers, but a lot of people just thought they’d read too much sci-fi,” he says. “Now it’s part of a consumer product, more people are noticing.”" (https://time.com/6256529/bing-openai-chatgpt-danger-alignment/)
- Marvin von Hagen said he is scared in the long term and that when AI could potentially harm him, not only he but humanity has a problem. Source quote: "“I’m scared in the long term,” he says. “I think when we get to the stage where AI could potentially harm me, I think not only I have a problem, but humanity has a problem.”" (https://time.com/6256529/bing-openai-chatgpt-danger-alignment/)
- Marvin von Hagen was a student at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) as of February 2023. Source quote: "Marvin von Hagen is a student at the Technical University of Munich (TUM)" (https://stratechery.com/2023/from-bing-to-sydney-search-as-distraction-sentient-ai/)
- Public records list the alias 'Cem-Marvin von Hagen' (ORCID 0000-0002-6741-2996, Sciences Po alumni CV listing CDTM 2022-2024). (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6741-2996)

## Experience
- Head of Interaction at Cognition - San Francisco, CA (Oct 2026 - Present): 🦦 × 🌴
- Co-Founder at The Interaction Company of California - Palo Alto, CA (Oct 2024 - Oct 2026): Building Poke 🌴
- Analytics & Automation at Tesla - Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands (Dec 2021 - May 2022)
- Co-Founder at TUM Boring – Innovation in Tunneling e.V. - Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (Jul 2020 - Dec 2021): - Co-founded TUM Boring, led team of 65 ppl
- Built a 22-tons heavy, 40-feet long tunnel boring machine
- Won Not-a-Boring Competition hosted by SpaceX & The Boring Company against 390 other teams
- Hyperloop Stuff at TUM Hyperloop - Munich, Bavaria, Germany (Nov 2019 - Apr 2020)
- Research Assistant at Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) - Munich, Bavaria, Germany (May 2019 - Mar 2020)
- Software Development Intern at BROCKHAUS AG - Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Jun 2016 - Jul 2016)

## Education
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Full-Time Research Stay, Non-Degree-Seeking Student - (Sep 2023 - Jun 2024): Refusals and other LLM stuff. Grad courses at Harvard
- Technical University of Munich - Bachelor of Science - BS - (Jan 2023)
- Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) - Honors Degree (Graduate-level) - (Jan 2023): CDTM was initiated by MIT and TUM in 1998 and has been a joint institute of the University of Munich (LMU) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the two leading universities in Germany, since 2002.

Each semester, 25 students with diverse study backgrounds are selected from 400+ applicants to pursue an add-on Honors Degree which is awarded jointly by LMU, TUM, and the Elite Network of Bavaria. Alumni of the Elite Graduate Study Program in Technology Management hold leadership positions in industry and academia and have founded more than a quarter of Germany's unicorn startups.
- Sciences Po - Erasmus+ Scholar - (Jan 2021): Visiting student at the IEP Paris (Grande École)

## Sources
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvinvonhagen
- https://x.com/marvinvonhagen
- https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/
- https://cognition.com/blog/interaction
- https://marvinvonhagen.com/
- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6741-2996
- https://huggingface.co/mvh/papers
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- https://www.delphi.co/marvin-von-hagen
- https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california
- https://mana.am/en/blog/poke-sms-ai-agent/
- https://tum-boring.com/our-team-2/gen1/
- https://explainx.ai/blog/cognition-acquires-poke-interaction-devin-messaging-agent-july-2026
- https://stratechery.com/2023/from-bing-to-sydney-search-as-distraction-sentient-ai/
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- https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/p/poke
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- https://x.com/karpathy/status/1627366425039077381


Researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-04. Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people/marvin-von-hagen · Everyone at Cognition: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people