TLDR
- Meta Platforms (META) has acquired Sundial, an AI data analytics startup, and confirmed the deal to Axios on October 23, 2026.
- No price was disclosed, and Sundial will stop serving outside customers when the deal closes.
- Sundial co-founders Julie Zhuo and Chandra Narayanan, both former Meta employees, will join the company.
- Sundial folds into Meta’s new DATA unit, led by chief data officer Alex Schultz.
- Sundial counted OpenAI as a client, and it is unclear what happens to those relationships.
Meta Platforms (META) has acquired Sundial, an AI-powered data analytics startup. A company spokesperson confirmed the deal to Axios on October 23, 2026.
No price was disclosed. Sundial will stop serving outside customers once the deal closes.
Sundial was co-founded in 2021 by Julie Zhuo and Chandra Narayanan. Both are former Meta employees, so this one is a homecoming of sorts.
Zhuo was previously Meta’s vice president of product design. Narayanan was analytics chief at Sequoia Capital and Instagram, and director of analytics at Facebook.
What Meta Is Getting
Sundial builds self-service analytics tools. They turn plain-language questions and complex data into simple insights through a chatbot plugin.
Teams can analyze data themselves without waiting on a central data unit. That older setup can take longer to respond.
Other Sundial employees, including several Meta alumni, will join the company. They bring the startup’s AI analytics technology with them.
Sundial will be folded into Meta’s new data analytics organization. Alex Schultz, who leads the unit, shared the news in a LinkedIn post.
Narayanan will lead Meta’s data analytics tooling and agents work. Zhuo will also join the company.
Why the Timing Matters
Meta named Schultz, its former marketing chief, as its first chief data officer in July. He oversees the Data Analytics Tooling & Agents unit, nicknamed DATA.
DATA handles descriptive analysis and looks for questions the company has not yet asked. It also runs experiments to test and improve Meta’s data and AI products.
The unit also monitors critical AI systems and issues alerts. Schultz wrote, “AI has created effectively unlimited demand for insights, and we want to define the future of AI analytics.”
Sundial’s client list includes OpenAI, a Meta rival in AI. It is unclear what happens to those relationships now.
Sundial raised $23 million in total. That includes a $16 million Series A in July 2025 led by DJ Patil of GPV, with backing from Sequoia Capital.
Other software companies have made similar moves lately. Salesforce agreed in October to acquire Loops for Tableau, while Microsoft and SAP added AI data tools this year.
The latest update is that Meta confirmed the Sundial deal on October 23, 2026. No price was given, and outside service is set to end when the deal closes.
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