Adept, a startup specializing in AI-powered agents for software tasks, has agreed to license its technology to Amazon. The co-founders and a portion of the team will be joining Amazon.
The news was first reported by Geekwire’s Taylor Soper. Adept’s CEO, David Luan, along with other co-founders like Augustus Odena, Maxwell Nye, Erich Elsen, Kelsey Szot, and several employees, will be transitioning to Amazon.
While Adept is not shutting down, Zach Brock, the head of engineering, will take over as CEO. Adept will now focus on developing solutions that enable agentic AI.
In a blog post, Adept mentioned that their products will still utilize their existing AI models, agentic data, web interaction software, and custom infrastructure. They believe this shift will allow them to bring their agent vision to life more effectively.
The deal with Amazon comes at a crucial time for Adept, as they have been in talks with other companies like Meta and Microsoft regarding potential acquisitions. Microsoft had previously invested in Adept.
Amazon stands to benefit from Adept’s talent and technology to enhance its generative AI goals. David Luan will be working with Rohit Prasad, leading a new AGI team at Amazon focused on large language model development.
With the goal of creating an AI model capable of performing actions on software tools using natural language, Adept was founded two years ago. Despite raising significant funding and reaching a billion-dollar valuation, the startup faced challenges, including losing co-founders and delays in product launches.
The market for AI agents is competitive, with other well-funded startups like Orby and Emergence competing for market share. Amazon’s involvement may help Adept succeed, but regulatory concerns or internal challenges could also impact the company’s future.
