Cognition Acquires Poke: A New Era for AI Personalities

Washington DC, United States Jul 24, 2026 ALN: Poke, the AI assistant you text like a friend, is making its next big move. 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, 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.”

The acquisition underscores a growing belief that how AI assistants interact with users will become just as valuable as the underlying models powering them. Cognition wants to make Devin feel less like software and more like a colleague.

“The Interaction team has built an agent that people love: it’s proactive, it knows you, and it’s fun to talk to. That’s exactly how working with Devin should feel, and now we get to build it together,” Cognition co-founder Scott Wu wrote in a blog post.

He also noted that he and Cognition co-founder Walden Yan had been angel investors in the company behind Poke.

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.

Von Hagen noted that productivity tasks like managing emails, reminders, and to-dos were among Poke’s most common use cases.

Over the past three months, Poke users exchanged more than 100 million messages on the platform, Cognition said. 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.

In June, Poke became the first AI agent to be approved to run on Apple’s Messages for Business platform, which provides businesses with a standardized experience for handling their customer communications within Apple’s Messages app.

Going forward, nothing will immediately change for Poke through the end of the year, we’re told. 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-1.7 for some tasks. Fully combining the two products has not been ruled out, either.

“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,” von Hagen said. “Like right now, Devin can only do one PR — pull request — at a time…I think there’s a lot of value in having Poke orchestrate different Devin sessions.” Plus, Poke could help Devin remember tasks across different sessions.

“It would be good to have a persistent co-worker,” he added.

The acquisition of Poke by Cognition represents a significant shift in the landscape of AI-driven personal assistants. As artificial intelligence technology continues to evolve, the demand for more engaging and human-like interactions with AI systems has become increasingly evident. This trend is not merely a passing phase; rather, it reflects a broader movement towards creating AI that can seamlessly integrate into users' daily lives, making interactions feel more natural and less transactional.

Cognition’s decision to acquire Poke is indicative of a strategic vision that prioritizes user experience. By leveraging Poke's unique interaction model, Cognition aims to enhance the functionality of its coding assistant, Devin, transforming it from a purely task-oriented tool into a more relatable and enjoyable companion for software engineers. This evolution is particularly relevant in a field where collaboration and communication are essential components of productivity.

The integration of Poke’s conversational style into Devin could significantly change the way developers interact with AI tools. Instead of merely issuing commands or queries, users may find themselves engaging in a more dialogue-driven experience, where the AI can respond with humor, empathy, and adaptability. This could lead to a more satisfying user experience, ultimately fostering a stronger connection between developers and their AI assistants.

Moreover, the acquisition highlights the importance of personality in AI interactions. As von Hagen pointed out, users often prefer engaging with systems that exhibit personality traits similar to those of human co-workers. This preference underscores the potential for AI to not only assist with tasks but also to enhance workplace culture and camaraderie through relatable interactions.

The financial aspects of the acquisition, with Cognition reportedly valuing Poke in the low nine figures, reflect the increasing investments being made in AI technology. As companies recognize the value of AI-driven solutions, particularly those that prioritize user engagement, such acquisitions are likely to become more common. This trend may fuel a competitive landscape where companies strive to develop the most engaging and effective AI assistants.

Poke's user engagement statistics, with over 100 million messages exchanged in just three months, further demonstrate the demand for AI that can communicate in a relatable manner. The ability to handle various tasks, from managing emails to providing travel recommendations, positions Poke as a versatile tool in the AI assistant market. However, the challenge of profitability remains a critical consideration. As von Hagen noted, the operational costs associated with running Poke have been high, raising questions about the sustainability of such models in a competitive environment.

Looking ahead, the collaboration between Poke and Cognition could pave the way for innovative developments in AI technology. The planned experimentation with Cognition’s SWE-1.7 model suggests a commitment to continuous improvement and adaptation. This willingness to explore new capabilities could result in a more robust AI assistant that not only meets user needs but also anticipates them.

Furthermore, the potential merging of Poke and Devin raises intriguing possibilities for the future of AI assistants. The idea of a persistent co-worker, as von Hagen described, could revolutionize how developers approach their work. An AI that can remember past interactions and tasks could enhance productivity by reducing the cognitive load on users, allowing them to focus on more creative and complex aspects of their work.

In conclusion, the acquisition of Poke by Cognition marks a significant milestone in the evolution of AI personal assistants. It reflects a growing recognition of the importance of user experience and engagement in the development of AI technologies. As companies continue to invest in creating more relatable and human-like AI interactions, the landscape of personal assistants is likely to undergo transformative changes, ultimately reshaping how users interact with technology in their daily lives.