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Chamath Palihapitiya said Monday that 8090 Labs, the enterprise AI coding startup he founded, has closed a $135 million Series A and that he will run the company as chief executive instead of serving only on its board. The round was led by Salesforce Ventures, TechCrunch reported, and Palihapitiya confirmed the funding and his new title in a post on X. He built his public profile through the venture firm Social Capital and the All-In podcast, and he said the appointment is his first full-time operating role since he left Facebook.
The Series A drew a roster of investors tied to Palihapitiya's own circle. Jeffrey Katzenberg's WndrCo and David Sacks' Craft Ventures joined the round, along with his All-In co-hosts David Friedberg, through The Production Board, and Jason Calacanis, through his Launch fund. Palo Alto Networks chief executive Nikesh Arora and Quora chief executive Adam D'Angelo invested as angels, according to TechCrunch.
Key Takeaways
- Chamath Palihapitiya's enterprise AI coding startup 8090 Labs closed a $135 million Series A led by Salesforce Ventures.
- Palihapitiya will run the company as chief executive, his first full-time operating role since he left Facebook.
- Backers include his All-In co-hosts David Friedberg and Jason Calacanis, plus David Sacks' Craft Ventures and angels Nikesh Arora and Adam D'Angelo.
- Founded in January 2024, 8090 Labs sells Software Factory, an AI coding agent for corporate engineering teams.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Palihapitiya founded 8090 Labs in January 2024 to sell an AI coding agent built for corporate programming teams rather than individual developers. Its product, Software Factory, is pitched to help enterprise engineers ship production-grade software instead of throwaway prototypes, with the audit trails and controls that large companies require, the company says.
In his post, Palihapitiya compared the current rush into AI to the rise of social media during his years as an early Facebook executive, before the company renamed itself Meta. "Since I left Facebook, I was waiting for a moment like this to return to a full-time operating role," he wrote. "I am convinced that what we are building now is even more important, so there was no decision to make except to be all in."
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The financing arrives during a long run of venture money into AI coding tools. SpaceX obtained a $60 billion option on Cursor in a deal reported in April, and Cognition has been reported to be in funding talks at a $25 billion valuation. TechCrunch described investors as eager to keep funding the category.
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8090 Labs enters a market with established competition, including Anthropic's Claude Code, OpenAI's Codex, and Cursor, all of which sell AI coding tools to corporate engineering teams.
TechCrunch's account did not include 8090 Labs' customer count, its revenue, or a timeline for Palihapitiya to move into day-to-day management. The funding and his appointment were both disclosed on X.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did 8090 Labs raise and who led the round?
8090 Labs closed a $135 million Series A led by Salesforce Ventures. Backers included Jeffrey Katzenberg's WndrCo, David Sacks' Craft Ventures, All-In co-hosts David Friedberg and Jason Calacanis, and angels Nikesh Arora and Adam D'Angelo.
Why is Chamath Palihapitiya becoming CEO?
Palihapitiya said the rush into AI reminds him of social media's rise during his Facebook years. He wrote that he had waited for a moment like this to return to a full-time operating role, and that there was no decision to make except to be all in.
What does 8090 Labs build?
Founded in January 2024, 8090 Labs sells Software Factory, an AI coding agent aimed at corporate engineering teams. The company says it helps enterprises ship production-grade software with audit trails and controls, rather than throwaway prototypes.
What is Chamath Palihapitiya known for?
Palihapitiya built his public profile through the venture firm Social Capital and the All-In podcast. He was an early executive at Facebook, before the company renamed itself Meta. The 8090 Labs job marks his return to a full-time operating role, he said.
How crowded is the enterprise AI coding market?
8090 Labs competes with established tools including Anthropic's Claude Code, OpenAI's Codex, and Cursor, all selling AI coding software to corporate engineering teams. Venture money has flowed heavily into the category, including a reported $60 billion option SpaceX took on Cursor this year.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai
