Anthropic's AI coding tool, Claude Code, has been making waves in the tech industry for months, but recently, it seems like the buzz is at a fever pitch. According to Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, the company built the simplest possible thing and were surprised when they found out that half of Anthropic's sales team uses the tool every week.
AI-powered coding has evolved quickly since 2021, with most tools functioning as little more than autocomplete suggestions. By early 2025, startups like Cursor and Windsurf began rolling out "agentic" coding products that let developers describe a feature in plain language and leave the rest up to an AI agent. Claude Code launched around this time too.
Initially, Cherny acknowledges that early versions of Claude Code stumbled, making errors or getting stuck in costly loops. However, Anthropic built the tool for where AI capabilities were headed, rather than where they were at launch. The company's bet paid off when several developers claim that AI coding products reached an inflection point in recent months, particularly with the launch of Anthropic's latest AI model, Claude Opus 4.5.
Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of startup Workera, recently switched to Claude Code after testing several AI coding tools internally. He says his senior engineers preferred Claude Code over other options. "The only model I can point to where I saw a step-function improvement in coding abilities recently has been Claude Opus 4.5," Katanforoosh notes. "It doesn’t even feel like it’s coding like a human, you sort of feel like it has figured out a better way."
Claude Code's ARR reached $1 billion in November, less than a year after its debut. By the end of 2025, the company's ARR had grown by at least another $100 million. Claude Code now accounts for roughly 12 percent of Anthropic's total ARR, which stood around $9 billion.
Anthropic aims to be cash-flow positive by 2028 and believes that Claude Code could play an important role in its revenue growth. The company is trying to use Claude Code's momentum to create agents for non-coding sectors, such as Cowork, an AI agent that can manage files on a user’s computer and interact with software without requiring any interaction with a coding terminal.
As the industry navigates this shift, engineers are being advised by Boris Cherny to embrace change. "There's just this new way of working," he notes. "This is the most fun I've ever had as an engineer because I don’t have to do all the tedious work." Cherny believes that AI agents will free people up to do the things they enjoy.
Anthropic employees are reportedly using Claude Code internally, with adoption rates being "insane." Cherny's team has even created a new product review process to ensure that everyone is using the tool effectively. The company's culture of learning through dog-fooding and feedback has helped it navigate this transition smoothly.
The year ahead will see Claude's agentic abilities expanding, helping with tedious tasks like filling out forms or sending emails. Cherny believes this will be a disruptive but exciting development for the industry. "It lets me enjoy my job much more, and it lets me enjoy my day a lot more."
AI-powered coding has evolved quickly since 2021, with most tools functioning as little more than autocomplete suggestions. By early 2025, startups like Cursor and Windsurf began rolling out "agentic" coding products that let developers describe a feature in plain language and leave the rest up to an AI agent. Claude Code launched around this time too.
Initially, Cherny acknowledges that early versions of Claude Code stumbled, making errors or getting stuck in costly loops. However, Anthropic built the tool for where AI capabilities were headed, rather than where they were at launch. The company's bet paid off when several developers claim that AI coding products reached an inflection point in recent months, particularly with the launch of Anthropic's latest AI model, Claude Opus 4.5.
Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of startup Workera, recently switched to Claude Code after testing several AI coding tools internally. He says his senior engineers preferred Claude Code over other options. "The only model I can point to where I saw a step-function improvement in coding abilities recently has been Claude Opus 4.5," Katanforoosh notes. "It doesn’t even feel like it’s coding like a human, you sort of feel like it has figured out a better way."
Claude Code's ARR reached $1 billion in November, less than a year after its debut. By the end of 2025, the company's ARR had grown by at least another $100 million. Claude Code now accounts for roughly 12 percent of Anthropic's total ARR, which stood around $9 billion.
Anthropic aims to be cash-flow positive by 2028 and believes that Claude Code could play an important role in its revenue growth. The company is trying to use Claude Code's momentum to create agents for non-coding sectors, such as Cowork, an AI agent that can manage files on a user’s computer and interact with software without requiring any interaction with a coding terminal.
As the industry navigates this shift, engineers are being advised by Boris Cherny to embrace change. "There's just this new way of working," he notes. "This is the most fun I've ever had as an engineer because I don’t have to do all the tedious work." Cherny believes that AI agents will free people up to do the things they enjoy.
Anthropic employees are reportedly using Claude Code internally, with adoption rates being "insane." Cherny's team has even created a new product review process to ensure that everyone is using the tool effectively. The company's culture of learning through dog-fooding and feedback has helped it navigate this transition smoothly.
The year ahead will see Claude's agentic abilities expanding, helping with tedious tasks like filling out forms or sending emails. Cherny believes this will be a disruptive but exciting development for the industry. "It lets me enjoy my job much more, and it lets me enjoy my day a lot more."