Figma acquires AI agent startup Bud

Figma has acquired the team behind Bud, an artificial intelligence agent platform formerly known as Orchids. Under the terms of the acquisition, the startup will shut down both the Bud and Orchids platforms by July 18, requiring current users to migrate their projects before the services are permanently discontinued. Bud was backed by Y Combinator, a startup accelerator. The startup initially launched as a “vibe-coding” platform, which is a term used to describe software that allows users to quickly spin up applications for mobile, web, Slack, and browsers. It later rebranded as Bud, pivoting to an AI agent platform designed to access various services, browse the web, and write code to automate tasks.

The acquisition brings the startup’s engineering talent directly into Figma’s product development pipeline. Kevin Lu, the CEO of Bud, expressed support for the transition, framing Figma as a logical destination for the startup’s technology. “Figma is one of, if not the, defining product companies of our time to capitalize on this. It’s where ideas start, iterate, and come to life, and a natural home for this exciting new era of work,” Lu stated. Figma has not detailed how it intends to utilize the incoming team, but the move signals an effort to bring the coding and prototyping layer closer to its design canvas.

The transaction follows a series of recent product developments by Figma, which has integrated its platform with external tools like Codex and Claude Code, and introduced its own AI agents. However, the acquisition also highlights past security vulnerabilities associated with the startup’s legacy software. The BBC previously reported that apps created on Orchids were susceptible to cyberattacks, citing findings from a security researcher. Users of both Bud and Orchids have until the July 18 deadline to secure and migrate their data before the platforms are shut down.

Why it matters

Figma is acquiring the Bud team to integrate AI, coding, and prototyping capabilities directly into its design platform. The acquisition represents a shift to move beyond static design concepts and bring active development tools directly into the design workflow.