OpenAI continued to search for suitable startups developing AI-powered coding tools.
Cursor’s Rapid Growth and Popularity
Anysphere, the maker of AI coding assistant Cursor, has been growing so quickly that it’s not currently looking to sell — even to OpenAI, according to a source close to the company. The startup has become a hot target due to its rapid success in the AI-powered coding tool market.
Cursor’s Rapid Growth and Acquisition Offers
Cursor is one of the most popular AI-powered coding tools, with its revenue growing astronomically — doubling on average every two months, according to sources. Anysphere’s current annual recurring revenue is about $300 million, according to two sources familiar with the company.
The company previously walked away from early acquisition discussions with OpenAI after the ChatGPT maker approached Cursor, as confirmed by the sources and previously reported by CNBC. Anysphere has also received other acquisition offers that were not considered, according to one of these sources.
Anysphere’s Desire to Stay Independent
The decision to turn down the offers stems from Anysphere’s desire to remain independent, said the two sources. Instead, the company has been in talks to raise capital at a $10 billion valuation, as reported by Bloomberg last month.
OpenAI’s Continued Search for Acquisition Targets
Although OpenAI didn’t manage to acquire Anysphere, it didn’t give up on acquiring an established AI coding tool startup. OpenAI spoke with more than 20 others, according to CNBC.
Windsurf’s Rapid Growth and OpenAI’s Acquisition Offer
OpenAI then focused on the next-fastest-growing AI coding startup, Windsurf, offering $3 billion for its acquisition, as reported by Bloomberg last week. While Windsurf is a smaller company with an annual recurring revenue of about $100 million — up from $40 million in February — it has been gaining popularity in the developer community. Its product is designed to work with legacy enterprise systems. Windsurf did not respond to requests for comment, and OpenAI declined to comment on its acquisition talks.
The Search for New Growth Areas and Competitive Pressures
OpenAI’s shopping spree is likely driven by its need to find new growth areas, as competitors such as Google’s Gemini and China’s DeepSeek put pricing pressure on access to foundational models. Moreover, recent AI models released by Anthropic and Google are outperforming OpenAI’s models on coding benchmarks, making them increasingly preferred by developers.
OpenAI’s Acquisition Strategy: A Shortcut to Success
Rather than building its own AI coding assistant from scratch, OpenAI’s acquisition strategy allows it to tap into a popular product already embraced by developers.
Venture Capitalists Watch OpenAI’s Next Moves
Venture capitalists investing in developer tool startups are closely watching OpenAI’s moves. Chris Farmer, partner and CEO at SignalFire, speculated about the company’s strategy, saying, “They’ll be acquisitive at the app layer. It’s existential for them.”
