If you haven’t heard of Cohere before, it is an AI company that targets only business clients and not the general public, unlike ChatGPT or Gemini. Cohere Inc. is currently making headlines for two major reasons you should know. First, Cohere got a massive cash boost of $500 million, and second, they made a super hire with Joelle Pineau, former VP of AI Research and global lead for Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) at Meta. Why are they important, you may wonder? Right now, every company is literally racing to become the next major AI player, and Cohere has precisely what it takes to get there. Plus, Joelle Pineau’s views on responsible, non-hyped, and non-political AI are sure to surprise you. Learn more.
What Happened?
In a major announcement on LinkedIn dated August 14, 2025, Cohere shared that they have secured substantial funding of $500 million. On paper, Cohere’s valuation now rises to $6.8 billion, all thanks to its investors. Cohere reportedly has ambitious plans to strengthen its AI capabilities in 2025. And hiring Joelle Pineau is paving the way toward that goal.
Replying to the post, Joelle Pineau said, “I’m thrilled to be joining Cohere in the role of Chief AI Officer, helping advance cutting-edge research and product development. Cohere has an incredible team, and this is an exciting moment in the company’s journey. I look forward to supporting the research teams in Cohere Labs and contributing more broadly to the goal of building and delivering the best AI solutions, while meeting the highest standards of security, privacy, robustness, and transparency…”
Why Hiring Joelle Pineau Is Big for Cohere?
Joelle Pineau is no ordinary candidate. Here’s an overview of her career:
- She has been a respected computer science professor at McGill University since 2004.
- She worked as a Research Manager and Director at Meta AI from May 2017 to February 2023.
- Her talent advanced her career, and she became VP of AI Research and Global Head of Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) at Meta (from March 2023 to May 2025), which developed the Llama AI models.
What Will Pineau Lead at Cohere?
Cohere is opening a new office in Montreal in collaboration with Mila, a major Canadian AI research hub. Pineau will join Cohere’s Montreal office in September this year. According to her LinkedIn profile, Pineau is the Chief AI Officer and will soon lead Cohere Labs in the research domain.
Cohere also made another notable hire, Francois Chadwick, a former Uber executive, as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Some Known Reasons Why Left Meta
According to her farewell post in April on LinkedIn, she mentioned she wants to take some time off before jumping into a “new adventure.”
Besides that, there are other known speculations around her departure. According to The Globe and Mail, she was more interested in building practical AI solutions. The article also notes that she didn’t want to get caught up in the hype and politics surrounding AI (citing how AI is aligning politically after Donald Trump took over the Presidency in the U.S.).
Global Names Are Betting on Cohere…
Backed by world-class investors, Cohere is the next big name, indeed. Some important investors include:
- Radical Ventures (Canada)
- Inovia Capital (Canada)
- AMD Ventures
- Nvidia
- PSP Investments
- Salesforce Ventures
- The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan has newly joined its global investors team.
Nick Frosst, the co-founder, appreciated that the team is on the path to profitability by developing useful technology rather than comparing valuations with competitors.
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