Meta has acquired Conductor, a startup that built a platform for coordinating multiple AI agents writing code in parallel. The deal strengthens the company's position in the software development tools market, where major AI companies are seeking to control not only the models themselves but also programmers' working environments.

Axios exclusively reported the acquisition, citing sources familiar with the terms of the deal. Financial details have not been disclosed.

A platform for entire teams of AI developers

Conductor was founded in 2024. Its platform lets programmers run multiple AI agents simultaneously and coordinate their work. Rather than interacting with a single assistant, developers can manage an entire group of agents performing different tasks in parallel.

The company is led by co-founders Charlie Holtz, its chief executive officer, and Jackson de Campos, its chief technology officer.

According to Axios's sources, Meta plans to tap Conductor's expertise in building products quickly and developing tools tailored to programmers' needs. This is expected to help the company shape the next generation of its own AI coding products.

AI companies compete over developer tools

The acquisition of Conductor is part of a broader rivalry among the market's biggest players. On the same day, OpenAI told Axios that it planned to acquire Pierre Computer, another startup working on developer tools.

The companies are focusing on different parts of the programming process. Pierre handles the storage and management of AI-generated code, while Conductor specializes in coordinating multiple agents working simultaneously.

In June, OpenAI also announced plans to acquire Ona, a startup developing cloud-based coding environments and AI agent orchestration tools.

Meta and OpenAI are thus seeking to establish a foothold not only in the language model market but also in the infrastructure through which developers use these models in their daily work.

Why programming matters for AI development

The battle over development tools matters for more than just potential revenue. Programmers are among the most active AI users, and corporate demand for automating software development makes this market particularly attractive.

Success in programming can also influence the quality of the models themselves. As an independent researcher told Axios, companies need strong capabilities in code writing, programming, and mathematics to continue improving AI.

Developer tools are therefore becoming both a commercial product and a way to accelerate the development of companies' own models.

The Conductor deal reflects a shift in how the future of AI-powered development is envisioned: competition will center not only on creating smarter agents but also on tools that enable their collaborative work to be managed effectively. Meta hopes to secure a place in this new programming infrastructure.