Why Cognition bought Poke: AI personality is becoming a competitive advantage
AI coding startup Cognition has acquired Poke, the AI assistant you text like a friend, in a deal valuing the startup in the low nine figures. The acquisition brings Poke's conversational style and interaction model to Cognition's coding agent Devin, reflecting a growing belief that how AI assistants interact with users is as important as the models powering them. Poke, the AI assistant you text like a friend , is making its next big move.
Key Takeaways
- The company behind the assistant, The Interaction Company of California , has been acquired by AI coding startup Cognition in a deal valuing the startup in the "low nine figures.
" The deal will bring Poke's interaction model and personality to Cognition's coding assistant Devin.
- "When you have co-workers that are also software engineers, they can also make a joke.
- First launched in March 2026, Poke allows users to engage with its AI agent through their messaging platform of choice, whether that's iMessage, SMS, Telegram, or, in some markets, WhatsApp.
People use Poke for a variety of tasks , across categories like travel, health, finance, scheduling, and education.
- Poke plans to remain on Apple's platform.
However, next year the team will experiment with how both Poke and Devin can improve, with Poke turning to Cognition's newest software engineering model SWE-1.
- "It would be good to have a persistent co-worker," he added.
Stats & Key Facts
- #First launched in March 2026, Poke allows users to engage with its AI agent through their messaging platform of choice, whether that's iMessage, SMS, Telegram, or, in some markets, WhatsApp.
- #Over the past three months, Poke users exchanged more than 100 million messages on the platform, Cognition said.
The company behind the assistant, The Interaction Company of California , has been acquired by AI coding startup Cognition in a deal valuing the startup in the "low nine figures. " The deal will bring Poke's interaction model and personality to Cognition's coding assistant Devin. Meanwhile, Poke will take advantage of Cognition's models and infrastructure to become faster and more reliable, Cognition said.
What makes Poke interesting to consumers - and now, to its acquirer - is how it engages with users' requests. Instead of functioning like a tool, Poke chats more familiarly with users, responding like a friend and even incorporating slang and humor into its interactions. That's something that could add value to Devin's coding agent.
"You probably prefer it if you have co-workers that have personality, rather than if you have co-workers that are just robots," explained Interaction Company co-founder Marvin von Hagen , in an interview with TechCrunch, where he also confirmed the deal's price. "When you have co-workers that are also software engineers, they can also make a joke. And you'll find it funny and enjoyable.
For more details please read the original article at TechCrunch AI.
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