Cognition, the UK-based AI coding specialist, has made headlines with its acquisition of Poke, the cutting-edge conversational assistant known for its remarkably human-like interactions. The massive deal, valued in the low nine figures, brings California-based The Interaction Company, Poke's parent firm, under Cognition's umbrella. This strategic move will merge Poke's unique interaction model and personality with Cognition’s existing coding agent, Devin – a bold step towards revolutionising AI experiences.
The acquisition is driven by a shared vision that an AI assistant's 'personality' can significantly boost user experience and productivity. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company, highlights the importance of creating an environment where users feel comfortable interacting with AI as if it were a colleague – one capable of humour, natural conversation, and even some creative flair. For Poke, joining forces with Cognition promises improved speed and reliability, leveraging the larger company's advanced models.
Launched just in March 2026, Poke quickly gained momentum by allowing users to interact with its AI agent across various messaging platforms – including iMessage, SMS, Telegram, and WhatsApp (in select markets). Users have employed Poke for a wide range of tasks, from planning travel and health queries to managing finances and educational support. Productivity tasks, such as email management, reminders, and to-do lists, proved some of its most popular applications, with users exchanging over 100 million messages in its first three months.
Despite its rapid user adoption, Poke faced significant operational costs, making profitability a challenge. This acquisition by Cognition provides a stable platform for Poke to evolve. Just this June, Poke made headlines as the first AI agent approved to operate on Apple's Messages for Business platform – standardising customer communications within Apple's messaging ecosystem. This approval further solidified its position as a leading conversational AI.
Looking ahead, immediate changes for Poke users are not expected for the remainder of 2026, with the service planning to maintain its presence on Apple’s platform. However, in 2027, Cognition and The Interaction Company will start experimenting with enhancements for both Poke and Devin – with Poke potentially utilising Cognition's SWE-1.7 software engineering model for certain tasks. In the long term, a potential full combination of the two products is planned, aiming to create a more reliable and persistent AI co-worker experience where Poke could orchestrate multiple Devin coding sessions and retain task memory across interactions.