In-depth profile of Scott Wu. Cognition hit $445M ARR in 18 months, raising at ~$25B valuation. Customers include U.S. Army, Goldman Sachs, Mercedes-Benz.

Cognition AI, a Peter Thiel-backed artificial intelligence startup, is expanding into Asia with new offices in Japan and Singapore. The US company aims to capitalise on rising demand for software automation in markets facing persistent engineering shortages. The move marks Cognition's push into the Asian market as businesses seek AI-powered solutions to address workforce challenges in software development.

Cognition, an AI startup, has entered the Japanese market through a partnership with DeNA whilst raising $400 million at a $10.2 billion valuation. The company is deploying Devin, its AI software engineering assistant, to address Japan's software engineer shortage. Cognition is working with major Japanese firms including DeNA and Mizuho Securities through partner ULS Consulting. DeNA reported that early internal use of Devin more than doubled operational efficiency for some teams by automating tasks like fixing tests and resolving errors. The tool can complete tasks that typically require four to eight hours for junior engineers, though it performs best with clearly defined assignments. Cognition has launched Devin 2.0 starting at $20 monthly, competing against free tools from GitHub and Amazon.