90% code: Anthropic workers offer glimpse of work future, writing less code, managing more AI jobs

A larger team, higher output

Anthropic reported a sharp increase in staffing, but said Claude lets employees handle work that might once have required larger teams. Most of its employees work in research, engineering or product development.

The company’s stated aim is to expand its business without increasing staff at the same pace. In software engineering, workers are increasingly directing and checking Claude’s work instead of composing code line by line.

Anthropic said Claude generated over 90% of code contributions in September. It also reported that engineers’ average daily code contributions in the third quarter exceeded their 2024 average by more than 45 times.

Measuring work differently

Recruiter Martha Heller said it was unsurprising that Anthropic highlighted its use of its own AI system. She also said people remain necessary to supervise what AI does.

Aaron Cleavinger of Flatiron Search Partners said staffing numbers may become a weaker way to judge an organization’s capabilities. He said it remains uncertain what measure will replace them, but companies may focus more on employee productivity and business impact.

Talent and retention pressures

Anthropic warned that losing senior leaders or key technical employees could interrupt operations and slow innovation. The company competes for scarce technical talent in a fast-growing industry, and some workers have also raised concerns about the direction of AI development.

Safety researcher Jacob Coxon left Anthropic last month, saying it and his former employer, OpenAI, were advancing powerful AI too quickly without adequate plans for control. Liane Davey, an adviser on team effectiveness, said departures driven by such concerns differ from ordinary turnover.

Anthropic said its key technical employees are often drawn to its mission and particular AI challenges. It reported about 1% regrettable attrition over the 12 months ending September 30, while warning that workers’ changing beliefs or goals could make retention harder.

Changing entry-level opportunities

Anthropic said it has been hiring a smaller proportion of junior technical workers as AI agents take on coding, bug fixes and other tasks across the company. That could leave the firm with fewer early-career employees to develop into more senior roles.

The company also describes its culture as low-ego: employees are expected to put the organization’s interests ahead of status, credit or seniority. Its filing presents that culture and its mission as part of the effort to keep talent.