Cognition Aims to Be the Switzerland of AI Agents with App Makeover

AI coding startup Cognition is revamping its app to help users manage coding agents from many providers, executives told The Information. Cognition is betting that being a neutral platform will strengthen its hand in the increasingly competitive market for AI coding tools.

The change, to be announced on Tuesday, involves the Windsurf application it bought last year, which Cognition is transforming into Devin Desktop. While the product’s name is a reference to Devin, Cognition’s flagship agent, it also supports agents from other providers, including OpenAI and Anthropic, executives said in an interview.

Cognition and rival startups face competition not only from each other but from those AI giants, who supply the AI models that underpin coding apps but also are increasingly competing directly for end customers with their own coding agents. OpenAI, for example, is slated to host an event Tuesday to talk about its coding and other enterprise offerings.