OpenAI, one of the leaders in this AI revolution, is particularly keen to bring on Anysphere. Anysphere is the developer of Cursor, a popular, fast-growing coding assistant. This action builds on OpenAI’s previous investments in Anysphere, starting around its late 2023 seed funding round. Talks for the possible purchase first began in 2024 and then resumed last winter. This further underscores OpenAI’s impressive focus on the rapidly growing code generation market.
On Wednesday, OpenAI launched its newest product, Codex CLI. This Command Line Interface (CLI) agent is very powerful allowing it to generate complex code and make easy edits. The release emphasizes OpenAI’s efforts of taking over the coding assistant space. By chasing Anysphere, OpenAI acknowledges its intent to maintain a large portion of this quickly developing tech space. This market has been booming and developers and technical talent have been flocking to this burgeoning market.
Given Anysphere’s Cursor is said to bring in around $200 million ARR, that strong market position seems proven. The company has been in discussions to raise additional capital at a valuation of around $10 billion, indicating its potential for growth and innovation. Cursor has found tremendous success in the AI coding assistant space. With this success, it is an extremely attractive asset for OpenAI as they seek to grow their portfolio even further.
As for OpenAI, they’re currently in active negotiations with Anysphere. At the same time, they are considering an $80 million acquisition of Windsurf which is bringing in about $40 million in annual recurring revenue. OpenAI looks to be on an all out warpath doubling down on their lead in the rapidly growing market for coding tools and assistants. The possible acquisition of the $3 billion Windsurf exemplifies this approach.
The curiosity around acquiring both Anysphere and Windsurf underlines OpenAI’s understanding of the growing need for more advanced coding solutions. As developers seek tools that can enhance productivity and streamline their workflows, companies like Anysphere and Windsurf are positioned to meet these needs effectively.
Leave a Reply