Acqui-hires appear to be a lasting trend. The team behind Alex, a popular tool that enabled developers to use AI models within Apple’s development suite Xcode, is now joining OpenAI.
In a post on X, Alex’s founder Daniel Edrisian stated the startup’s team is joining OpenAI’s Codex division. This division is responsible for building the company’s AI coding agent. The Y Combinator-backed startup Alex was founded in 2024 with the goal of integrating AI models into Xcode. However, Apple updated Xcode earlier this year to let users access ChatGPT and other AI models directly without needing external tools. Edrisian did not mention if this development was a reason for his team’s move to OpenAI.
Reflecting on the journey, Edrisian wrote that when they started, Xcode had no AI. He said building a “Cursor for Xcode” sounded crazy, but they managed to do it anyway and over time built the best coding agent for iOS and MacOS apps.
In a post on its blog, the startup said it would continue supporting existing users, though the app will no longer be available for download after October 1. The company noted that the team will not add new features but will maintain the product for as long as existing users rely on it. Alex’s Y Combinator listing notes the startup had three people working on the coding tool, though it is unclear if all employees are joining OpenAI.
OpenAI has conducted several similar team acquisitions in the past, hiring the team behind a startup rather than acquiring the entire company. Earlier this same week, OpenAI announced it was acquiring product testing startup Statsig for $1.1 billion.