A couple of deals in the AI space recently got me thinking.

Meta acquired Manus, a Singapore-based AI agent startup, for over $2 billion. Manus had hit $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months after launch — one of the fastest growth stories in AI. Meta plans to keep the product running and integrate it across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.

I wrote about Manus last July when it was still relatively unknown. At the time, I flagged some concerns around enterprise readiness, data residency, and the fact that it was a young platform still finding its footing. Now it's owned by Meta — which changes the picture entirely.

A few days ago, OpenAI announced it was acquiring the team behind Convogo, an AI tool used by executive coaches and HR teams to automate leadership assessments. But OpenAI isn't buying the product — just the team. Convogo's product is being shut down.

Two acquisitions. Two very different outcomes for the people who were actually using those tools.

We are still so early in the AI hype cycle that new tools are entering the market faster than luggage gets delivered at an airport. Many of them are genuinely useful. Some of them are growing fast. And a good number of them will get acquired.

OpenAI alone has made nine acquisitions in the past year, according to PitchBook. In most of those deals, the product either got folded into OpenAI's ecosystem or shut down entirely. That's the nature of acqui-hires — the big players want the talent, not the product.

Manus is a different story. Meta is keeping the product alive and integrating it. But that raises its own questions. If you were using Manus as a standalone tool, what does it mean now that it's part of Meta's ecosystem? What changes? What stays the same?

The point isn't that acquisitions are bad. They're inevitable. The point is that most organizations haven't thought through what happens when the AI tool they've adopted gets acquired — or disappears.

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If you've deployed AI tools in your organization — or you're planning to — these deals ought to get you thinking:

1. Do you have a change management plan for AI tools?

When a tool gets acquired, things change. The roadmap shifts. Integrations get added or removed. Pricing models evolve. If one of your AI tools gets acquired tomorrow, does your organization have a plan to assess the impact and manage the transition?

2. What happens to your data if the vendor gets acquired — or shuts down?

This one matters. When Convogo shuts down, what happens to the data their customers uploaded? The assessments, the feedback reports, the leadership profiles? There's been no mention of a migration path.

Before you sign up for any AI tool, it's worth knowing: Can you export your data? In what format? What are your rights if the company gets acquired or ceases operations?

3. What do your contracts actually say?

Most organizations don't read the fine print on SaaS agreements until something goes wrong. But AI tools often have different terms around data usage, model training, and IP. If ownership changes, do those terms still apply? Are there assignment clauses? What happens to your data rights?

4. How dependent are your workflows on this specific tool?

Some AI tools are easy to swap out. Others become deeply embedded in how your team works. The more dependent you are, the higher the risk if something changes. It's worth mapping out which tools are "nice to have" versus "critical to operations."

Don’t let the potential of acquisitions prevent you from adoption of AI.

The gains are real, and waiting on the sidelines has its own costs.

But the AI market is young, and consolidation is accelerating. The tool you're building workflows around today might look very different in a year — or might not exist at all.

If you're making AI investments, build in some flexibility and make sure you have a forward looking governance strategy in place.

Also for my friends at SMB’s governance is not just a corporate term. It’s applicable to you too. Just the scale and steps are different.

Is your organization working through AI governance? I'd love to hear how you're approaching it — hit reply.

Keep reading and learning and, LEAD the AI Revolution 💪

Hashi & The Context Window Team!