Anthropic Just Bought This $50M AI Startup. Now Investors Are Fighting.
The race for artificial intelligence talent just got incredibly messy. In fact, it’s starting to look like a high-stakes soap opera.
On Wednesday, AI giant Anthropic announced it bought Vercept. Previously, this Seattle-based startup raised $50 million to build smart computer tools. But the deal isn’t just a simple corporate handover. Instead, it triggered a massive public fight between the startup’s backers.
Let’s break down exactly what happened behind the scenes.
Computer-Use AI Agents Are the New Target
First, you need to understand what Vercept actually built. The startup created a tool called “Vy.” Specifically, this cloud-based software could independently operate a remote Apple MacBook.
These types of tools are called computer-use agents. So instead of just chatting with you, the software actually clicks, types, and works across different applications. Plus, big players desperately want this technology.
Just last December, Anthropic bought a coding engine called Bun to upgrade its Claude Code system. Now, they want Vercept’s expertise to handle even more complex tasks. Therefore, buying the team makes perfect strategic sense for their future plans.
Meta’s Superintelligence Lab Forced the Issue
However, the timeline of this deal reveals an intense talent war. Vercept boasted a superstar team originally from the Allen Institute for AI. But big tech companies noticed them quickly.
Recently, Meta aggressively poached one of Vercept’s co-founders, Matt Deitke. Indeed, he reportedly negotiated a massive $250 million salary to join Meta’s Superintelligence Lab. Consequently, Anthropic swooped in to grab the remaining talent.
Anthropic successfully hired co-founders Kiana Ehsani, Luca Weihs, and Ross Girshick. Meanwhile, Ehsani publicly praised the move. She stated that joining an incredible team was an easy choice to accelerate their vision into reality.
Venture Capital Backers Clash Over the Shutdown
Yet, the acquisition comes with a heavy cost for existing users. Anthropic is completely shutting down Vercept’s product on March 25. Thus, current customers have just 30 days to find a new solution.
That sudden closure sparked outrage from Oren Etzioni. As a founding leader of the Allen Institute and Vercept investor, he took to LinkedIn to complain. He publicly expressed disappointment that the startup was “throwing in the towel.”
Then, lead investor Seth Bannon fired back. He quickly condemned Etzioni for disparaging the founders’ heroic work. Soon, the two venture capital investors began throwing accusations of lying and legal threats at each other online.
Clearly, tensions run high when millions of dollars are on the line. Still, Etzioni admitted he made a positive return on his investment despite the drama.
Ultimately, this situation proves one thing about the current tech landscape. Right now, companies care more about acquiring brilliant minds than preserving existing products.
If you rely on tools from independent AI startups, you should definitely have a backup plan. Because tomorrow, your favorite tool might just get swallowed by a tech giant.
