Anthropic has acquired Seattle-based AI startup Vercept, a developer of agentic tools for complex computer tasks, in a move highlighting the fierce competition for AI talent and technology. The acquisition includes Vercept's flagship product Vy, a cloud-based agent capable of operating remote Apple MacBooks. Vercept, which had raised $50 million including a $16 million seed round last January, is shutting down its product on March 25th.

Co-founders Luca Weihs and Ross Girshick are joining Anthropic, though not all founders are staying, notably excluding co-founder Matt Deitke, who famously negotiated a $250 million salary from Meta last year. Deitke publicly congratulated his former colleagues on X. The deal underscores the high stakes in building the next big AI winner, with Vercept's closure marking a significant shift in the region's AI landscape.