Meta buys AI coding startup Conductor as big tech races to lock in developers

Meta is acquiring Conductor, an AI coding startup whose product lets developers control multiple AI coding agents at once, with CEO Charlie Holtz confirming the deal in a blog post without disclosing a price. Axios reports the acquisition is intended to strengthen Meta's AI developer products, part of a broader trend of AI companies buying tooling startups to lock developers into their platforms. Conductor Cloud shuts down on November 20, and the desktop app will stop receiving new models in early 2027.