Bloomberg reported that SpaceX explored acquiring AI coding startup Cognition, joining its push to catch up with rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic. Cognition CEO Scott Wu immediately denied the report on X, stating the company is not for sale and that no talks have occurred with SpaceX.
The claim follows SpaceX’s $60 billion acquisition of Cursor, another AI coding startup, and its earlier purchase of xAI, which went public in June with a market cap peaking near $2.3 trillion. SpaceX has framed AI as central to its future, with Musk projecting that AI will account for 99% of the company’s value within four or five years. Despite recent controversies around its Grok chatbot, SpaceX continues to invest in AI infrastructure, including plans for space-based data centers.
Bloomberg notes the acquisition talks are no longer active, though the companies may still collaborate, potentially leveraging SpaceX’s computing capacity for AI workloads. Cognition, valued at $25 billion after its $1 billion funding round in May, is now in early talks for a new round at a $40 billion valuation. The startup remains one of the largest independent AI coding firms untouched by major acquisitions.
