OpenAI pursued Cursor maker before entering into talks to buy Windsurf for $3B

When the news broke about OpenAI being in talks to acquire AI coding company Windsurf for $3 billion, many wondered why they didn’t buy Cursor creator Anysphere instead.

OpenAI Startup Fund has been an investor in Anysphere since its seed round in late 2023. Despite approaching Anysphere for acquisition, the talks failed, and Anysphere is now looking to raise capital at a $10 billion valuation.

OpenAI’s interest in another coding assistant maker, Windsurf, shows their focus on capturing a share of the code generation market. Windsurf generates $40 million in annual revenue, while Anysphere’s Cursor brings in about $200 million.

OpenAI’s recent release of Codex CLI “agent” can write and edit code, but their move to acquire Windsurf indicates a desire to expedite their progress in the market.