Google in talks to acquire Mechanize for $1.5B+

Google is negotiating a hybrid acqui-hire and licensing deal with AI coding agent startup Mechanize, valued at $500M pre-deal. The deal underscores Big Tech's desperation for coding AI talent and validates coding agents as the killer app. Mechanize raised only $9.1M, making the price tag eye-popping. New details confirm the $1.5B figure and signal a new playbook for AI talent acquisition.