20VC: Cognition CEO Scott Wu on Acquiring Windsurf: The Process, The Deal, The Rationale | Did Google Overlook a Goldmine in the Core Asset and Did Founders Leave a Sinking Ship | How Cursor and Cognition Deal with Ever Increasing Reliance on Anthropic

In this episode of 20VC, Harry Stebbings interviews Scott Wu, co-founder and CEO of Cognition, about Cognition's acquisition of Windsurf following its split from Google. Wu discusses the rapid timeline of the deal, the value Cognition saw in Windsurf's team and assets, and the broader implications for AI development and talent acquisition. They explore the competitive landscape of AI coding tools, the reliance on foundation models like Anthropic, and the future of software engineering with AI agents. Wu shares his insights on developer efficiency, the importance of deep context in AI coding, and the potential for AI to revolutionize human-computer interaction, while Stebbings presses him on marketing strategies and the competitive dynamics of the AI market. The conversation concludes with a quick-fire round covering topics from AI investment to the future of computer science education.