Max Zeff
@ZeffMax
Senior AI Reporter @TechCrunch | Formerly @Gizmodo, @markets, @nbc | Send anonymous tips on Signal @ mzeff.88
SCOOP: Meta has hired a key OpenAI researcher, Trapit Bansal, to build AI reasoning models, TechCrunch has learned. Bansal helped kickstart OpenAI's work on reinforcement learning, and was a key leader behind the company's first AI reasoning model, o1.
Windsurf asks the question: how many times can an AI coding startup be acquired?
NEWS: Cognition buys Windsurf in yet another AI deal, swooping in after Google bought Windsurf's founders and tech while leaving the rest of company behind windsurf employees will all participate financially, receiving accelerated vested shares nytimes.com/2025/07/14/tec…
Dario Amodei essentially saying the outside world is stupid for believing that thing he said last year. Now, him doing the opposite is perfectly consistent, obviously. Great scoop
SCOOP: Leaked memo from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei outlines the startup's plans to seek investment from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. “Unfortunately, I think ‘no bad person should ever benefit from our success’ is a pretty difficult principle to run a business on.”
Anthropic knows I can't be poached because getting poached would require that I check my email and I'm just not going to do that.
For me, I keep adding new ones. That's what keeps life interesting. I don't want a finish line.
"The agenda became soon obvious when the staffers were ushered into a conference room: Sitting near Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan was Google co-founder Sergey Brin, while Google’s top AI executive, Demis Hassabis, appeared on a video screen from another location."
NEW: Inside 96 hours of Windsurf whiplash: OpenAI talks broke down, Google brought out the velvet rope & Cognition sealed a deal. theinformation.com/articles/winds…
First day back in New York in forever: Currently sweating on the subway platform, only had a bagel and coffee so far today, been writing breaking news all day. Like I never left… truly back in my element.
An acquisition built over a weekend
Incredibly excited to share that Cognition is acquiring Windsurf. What an insane weekend - from first call after 5pm on Friday to a signed definitive agreement this morning. There’s a lot to build!