Meta buys Sundial, an AI data-analytics startup founded by two of its former executives, and Sundial will drop its outside customers, Axios reports

Meta has acquired Sundial, an AI-powered data-analytics platform, Axios reported in an exclusive on 23 October, and a Meta spokesperson confirmed the deal to Axios. Sundial was co-founded by Julie Zhuo, who led product design at Meta as a vice-president, and Chandra Narayanan, a former director of analytics at Facebook, Axios reported. They join Meta along with other Sundial staff.

Narayanan will lead Meta's data analytics tooling and agents work, Axios reported. Sundial is being folded into a new data-analytics organisation run by Alex Schultz, Meta's chief data officer. “Sundial will stop serving external customers when the deal closes,” Axios reported. Dealroom reported that no price was disclosed.

Sundial sells a tool that answers plain-language questions about a company's data, Dealroom reported, and Dealroom notes that it is unclear what happens to Sundial's existing customers. The deal brings that capability in-house at a company that is spending heavily on AI: Meta's third-quarter results, which the Switchboard ran on 22 October, showed $34.9bn of capital spending in the quarter.

Sundial's own website did not open for us, so no homepage is given.

• Reported Meta acquired Sundial and a Meta spokesperson confirmed the deal, Axios reported. Axios, via Yahoo Finance
• Reported Sundial will stop serving external customers when the deal closes, Axios reported. Axios, via Yahoo Finance
• Reported Narayanan will lead Meta's analytics tooling and agents work, Dealroom reported, citing Axios. Dealroom