By integrating Poke’s signature conversational style—which favors slang, humor, and a familiar tone over traditional robotic responses—Cognition aims to transform Devin from a utilitarian tool into a collaborative colleague. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company, emphasized that software engineers are more productive when they work alongside AI that mimics the nuances of human interaction. This acquisition brings that personality-driven approach to the coding environment, potentially easing the friction between developers and their autonomous assistants.
Cognition Acquires Poke to Infuse AI Coding Agents with Personality
Cognition, the startup behind the AI coding agent Devin, has acquired The Interaction Company of California, the creator of the conversational assistant Poke, in a deal valued in the low nine figures. The move signals a strategic shift toward prioritizing human-like interaction models alongside raw computational power in AI development.
While Poke amassed over 100 million messages in the last three months, the platform struggled with high operational costs. Under Cognition’s infrastructure, Poke will gain access to the SWE-1.7 engineering model, which promises to enhance the assistant's reliability and task orchestration. For users, this means the future of Devin may include persistent memory across sessions and the ability to handle complex workflows that currently require manual intervention. Both companies plan to maintain Poke’s existing presence on platforms like Apple’s Messages for Business through the end of the year, with more robust product integration slated for 2025.
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