A group of former Google and Stripe employees, including key figures who worked on the Android operating system, have raised $56 million to develop a platform designed to standardize artificial intelligence (AI) agents. The new company, /dev/agents, aims to create an operating system that provides a technical framework for AI agents, enabling seamless communication between services, much like how Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android functions for mobile apps.
The funding round, according to Bloomberg News, values /dev/agents at $500 million. David Singleton, co-founder and CEO of the company, reportedly stated, “We need an Android-like moment for AI.” Singleton, who previously served as vice president of engineering on the Android project and later became chief technology officer at Stripe, emphasized the challenges developers currently face. “We can see the promise of AI agents, but as a developer, it’s just too hard to build anything good,” he was quoted as saying.
The move by /dev/agents comes as major players like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic advance their own AI agent initiatives. For instance, Microsoft has rolled out tools tailored for healthcare organizations, allowing them to create customized AI agents for tasks such as appointment scheduling, clinical trial matching, and patient triage.
OpenAI’s framework, Swarm, enables AI agents to collaborate and autonomously execute complex tasks, with potential applications in improving business workflows. PYMNTS previously reported that these technologies could revolutionize processes like marketing, sales, and other operational workflows by enabling agents to act independently.
Archana Kannan, senior vice president of product at Slack, reportedly described this shift, stating, “While traditional AI approaches have centered around assistance, the ability for AI agents to reason, decide, and take action will amplify results.” Kannan added that such systems would transform how users handle everyday tasks, automating processes like new hire onboarding, project management, and IT incident resolution.
While AI agents are becoming more advanced and capable, Singleton and the /dev/agents team believe the lack of a unified framework is a significant barrier. Their operating system aims to fill this gap, offering a standardized structure for developers to build, deploy, and integrate AI agents efficiently.
As the development of autonomous AI agents gains momentum, /dev/agents’ initiative to provide a cohesive platform could address critical challenges faced by developers and businesses alike, ultimately accelerating the adoption and utility of AI agents across industries.
