Cognition acquired Poke and plans to fold its conversational style into Devin.
Why it matters: The deal suggests AI agents are now competing on product feel, not just model quality. That matters for enterprise buyers and builders deciding which assistants users will trust and keep using.
- Cognition announced on July 23, 2026 that it is welcoming The Interaction Company of California, makers of Poke, to Cognition.
- TechCrunch reported the deal valued Poke in the low nine figures.
- Cognition said Poke had exchanged more than 100 million messages in the prior three months.
- Poke is the only AI agent approved to text natively on Apple Messages.
Cognition said the Poke team will help shape Devin's user experience and conversational style, building on the company's existing push to make its coding agent feel like a teammate. Cognition already describes Devin as working across codebases through natural-language chat, according to its product materials at Cognition.
Scott Wu, Cognition's co-founder and CEO, said: "Poke is a personal agent that lives in your texts. It messages you first, follows up with you, and feels less like software and more like a friend." He added: "That's exactly how working with Devin should feel, and now we get to build it together."
Poke launched publicly in March 2026 as a personal assistant that works through text message for tasks including planning, calendars, health, smart home control, photo editing, reminders, and email alerts, TechCrunch reported in April. On July 23, Cognition said Poke had handled more than 100 million messages in three months and is the only AI agent approved to text natively on Apple Messages. TechCrunch reported on July 24 that Cognition acquired the startup in a deal valued in the low nine figures.
The acquisition fits a broader shift in AI agents: vendors are increasingly competing on persistence, retention and the feel of the product, not only on benchmarks or raw capability.
By the numbers
- 100 million+ - messages Poke exchanged in the prior three months, according to Cognition
- Low nine figures - reported valuation of Cognition's purchase of Poke
- March 2026 - month Poke launched publicly
Yes, but: Cognition did not disclose the purchase price, deal structure or whether all employees are staying, so the full terms remain unclear.