Mercor, the AI talent and data platform valued at $10 billion, has acquired Deeptune, a startup that builds simulation environments where AI agents learn to use enterprise software before being deployed in the real world. The deal, announced on July 9, was not exactly an arm’s-length transaction. Mercor CEO Brendan Foody had quietly helped fund Deeptune months earlier.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed. But the strategic logic is clear: Mercor wants to own the full stack of AI training infrastructure, from the human experts who label data to the virtual sandboxes where AI agents practice clicking through Salesforce.
What Mercor is actually building
Mercor started life in 2023 as a programmer-matching platform. That pivot turned out to be spectacularly well-timed. The company went from roughly $1 million in revenue to hundreds of millions, driven by insatiable demand from AI labs hungry for high-quality human feedback. By October 2025, Mercor had raised a $350 million Series C that pegged its valuation at $10 billion. The company reportedly spends over $1.5 million per day on expert training work for AI models.
Deeptune fills a specific gap in that pipeline. The Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup builds simulation environments where agents can practice real-world tasks like navigating Excel spreadsheets, managing Slack workflows, and handling CRM operations.
