Anthropic Acquires Vercept AI Startup to Advance Computer-Use Agents After Meta Talent Poach

Anthropic announced the acquisition of Vercept, an innovative AI startup focused on complex agentic tasks and computer-use technology.

Vercept's flagship product, Vy, a cloud-based agent capable of operating a remote Apple MacBook, will be shuttered on March 25, giving users 30 days to migrate.

Key Founders Transition to Anthropic

Co-founders Kiana Ehsani, Luca Weihs, and Ross Girshick from Vercept are joining Anthropic to accelerate development in AI agents.

Founder Matt Deitke was poached last year by Meta with a $250 million salary to lead efforts in its Superintelligence Lab.

Vercept's Roots and Funding Success

Hailing from the Allen Institute for AI and Seattle's A12 incubator, Vercept raised $50 million, including a $16 million seed round.

Backers included prominent figures like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Google DeepMind's Jeff Dean, and A12's Seth Bannon as lead investor.

Strategic Impact on AI Landscape

This deal follows Anthropic's December acquisition of coding agent startup Bun, bolstering its Claude ecosystem.

The move highlights intensifying talent competition as AI giants snap up promising startups reimagining personal computing.

Ehsani noted that partnering with Anthropic enables faster realization of their vision than building independently.

Investor Oren Etzioni expressed mixed feelings, citing disappointment over the shutdown despite a positive return for backers.

With Vercept's expertise integrated, Anthropic is poised to lead advancements in autonomous AI computer interactions.