'We don't believe in...': AI startup CEO shares internal mail offering buyouts to 200 staff of newly acquired company

Artificial intelligence startup

Cognition

is offering

voluntary buyouts

to its roughly 200 new employees just weeks after acquiring the developer tools company

Windsurf

. The company is providing a severance package equivalent to nine months' salary for those who decide to leave. This move signals an effort to quickly integrate Windsurf’s technology and clients while retaining employees who align with Cognition's culture. The buyout addresses a difference in work-life expectations between the two companies. Cognition's CEO, Scott Wu, has made it clear to the incoming staff of the newly acquired company that they must meet a specific standard to continue working in Cognition.

What Cognition's CEO Scott Wu said to the company’s employees

In an internal memo obtained by The Information (seen by Winbuzzer), Wu highlighted the company’s high expectations and expressed an unapologetic view on the importance of a strong work ethic.“We don’t believe in work-life balance—building the future of software engineering is a mission we all care so deeply about that we couldn’t possibly separate the two. We know that not everyone who joined Windsurf had signed up to join Cognition, where we spend 6 days at the office and clock 80+ hour weeks,” Wu said.

He described the move as fair, stating that the company does not support imposing cultural expectations on those who did not initially agree to them.Wu explained that the intent was to allow a respectful and transparent exit for employees who may not be comfortable with the level of commitment now expected. The company recognises that not all team members may want to continue after the acquisition and is offering a structured option for those who wish to depart.The offer, which is open to around 200 employees with a decision deadline of August 10, follows recent layoffs involving roughly 30 Windsurf staff. Taken together, the layoffs and the voluntary exit plan suggest a deliberate approach aimed at forming a more streamlined, closely aligned team focused on Cognition’s evolving goals.The acquisition comes after Windsurf's recent developments mark the conclusion of a series of corporate changes. A proposed $3 billion acquisition by OpenAI fell through after Microsoft, OpenAI’s major investor and partner, raised concerns over its intellectual property terms. Following this, Google hired Windsurf’s CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and other team members for its DeepMind division, and also licensed Windsurf’s technology. A few days later, Cognition announced its acquisition of the remaining parts of the company, initiating a shift in its organisational culture.