Cognition buys Poke — AI agent personality becomes an acquisition thesis

Capability was last quarter’s arms race. Personality is this week’s. Cognition acquired Poke, a move framed around AI agent character and feel — the soft layer users actually bond with when every lab ships a competent coder.

Why “vibes” are suddenly M&A
When models converge on benchmarks, differentiation slides to voice, memory, and product manners. Buying a personality stack is faster than prompting one into existence. Expect more of these deals as agents leave demos and move into daily OS real estate.
Your next coworker might be acquired, not trained. Update the org chart accordingly.
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