What Does Anthropic Do? Understanding the Company Behind Claude

If you have heard about Claude AI, you may also know the name Anthropic. But what does Anthropic do, and why is it becoming an important company in the AI industry?

Anthropic is an artificial intelligence (AI) company that creates Claude and other AI tools for people and businesses. It also studies ways to make AI systems safer and more reliable. Its work includes building AI models, helping software developers, supporting businesses, and studying how AI systems work.

Anthropic works in the same AI market as OpenAI and Google. However, it gives special attention to AI safety and making its models more reliable.

Anthropic does more than create a chatbot. It builds the technology behind Claude, sells access to its AI services, works with businesses, and studies the benefits and risks of powerful AI systems.

What Is Anthropic?

Anthropic is an American AI company based in San Francisco, California. It creates AI models, applications, and tools that help people and businesses with different tasks.

Anthropic is best known for creating Claude, its family of AI models and products.

The difference is simple:

• Anthropic: The company that creates and provides AI technology.
• Claude: The AI models and products made by Anthropic.
• Claude Code: A tool that helps software developers write and manage code.
• Claude API: A service that lets developers add Claude to their own apps.

Anthropic does not just sell another company’s chatbot. It builds its own AI models and offers them through products for individuals, businesses, and developers.

Anthropic is also a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). This means it is a for-profit company that must consider its public goals along with the financial interests of its shareholders.

Its main goal is to help the world use powerful AI in a safe way.

Who Founded Anthropic and Why?

Anthropic was started in January 2021 by seven people who had experience in AI research and development.

They wanted to build powerful AI systems while giving strong attention to safety and trust.

When Was Anthropic Founded?

Anthropic started in January 2021 in San Francisco, California.

Its founders wanted to find better ways to build and guide powerful AI models. They believed that making AI better should also include learning how these systems work and reducing the risks they may create.

Since then, the company has grown its research, product, and business teams.

Who Are Anthropic’s Founders?

Two of its best-known founders are:

• Dario Amodei: A co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO). He leads the company’s research plans and overall direction.
• Daniela Amodei: A co-founder and president. She helps lead the company’s teams, products, business, and daily work.

The other five co-founders are Tom Brown, Jack Clark, Jared Kaplan, Sam McCandlish, and Chris Olah.

They have worked in areas such as AI research, computer systems, policy, and model development.

These founders helped build Anthropic around the idea of creating AI systems that are powerful, easier to understand, and easier to guide.

What Does Anthropic Actually Do?

Anthropic’s work has four main parts: building AI models, studying AI safety, creating useful products, and providing AI tools for developers and businesses.

1. Builds Advanced AI Models

Anthropic creates large language models (LLMs). These are AI systems trained on large amounts of information. They can understand and create text, answer questions, study information, and work with computer code.

Claude is the company’s main AI model family.

These models can help people:

• Understand difficult information.
• Write and edit documents.
• Shorten long reports.
• Study text and data.
• Write and check computer code.
• Solve problems that need several steps.

Anthropic keeps working on its models to make them faster, better, and more useful.

For example, on October 7, 2026, the company announced Claude Haiku 5.5. This model was made for fast tasks, such as shortening text, sorting information, using browsers, and helping with coding.

2. Studies AI Safety and Alignment

Another important part of Anthropic’s work is studying how AI systems behave and how their risks can be reduced.

Its research includes:

• AI alignment: Finding ways to make AI follow human goals and instructions.
• AI interpretability: Studying how AI models work and why they give certain answers.
• AI safety: Finding ways to reduce harmful or unexpected AI behavior.
• Model testing: Checking what AI models can do and looking for possible risks.

This work matters because AI systems can give wrong answers, misunderstand questions, or provide harmful information.

Anthropic shares its research and safety reports to explain what it has learned and how it works to reduce these problems.

3. Creates AI Products for People and Businesses

Anthropic turns its research into products that people can use in daily life.

Individuals can use Claude for writing, learning, research, and solving problems.

Businesses can use its AI tools to help with customer service, documents, software development, and other work.

Different people and organizations can choose products and services based on their needs.

This allows Anthropic to serve individual users, developers, research teams, and large companies.

4. Provides AI Tools for Developers

Anthropic also gives developers ways to use its AI models in their own software.

For example, a developer can use the Claude API to build an app that answers customer questions, shortens documents, or handles information.

Businesses can also use Claude through developer tools and supported cloud services.

This means customers do not have to use only the regular Claude chat service. They can add its AI features to their own apps and work systems.

What Products and Services Does Anthropic Offer?

Anthropic offers several products and services under the Claude name. Each one helps with different tasks, such as daily work, coding, and scientific research.

Claude AI

Claude is Anthropic’s main AI assistant.

People can chat with Claude and ask it to help with different tasks. Instead of visiting many websites, users can ask questions and get help in one place.

Common uses include:

• Writing emails, reports, and articles.
• Shortening long documents.
• Explaining difficult topics.
• Finding new ideas.
• Checking information.
• Helping with research.
• Understanding and writing code.

Claude can also work with supported files and images. The available features depend on the model and product.

People can use Claude through its official website and supported apps.

Claude Code

Claude Code is an AI tool that helps software developers with coding work.

It can help developers understand code, change projects, find errors, and complete software tasks.

For example, a website developer might use Claude Code to:

• Understand code they have not seen before.
• Find possible errors in a project.
• Write or change code.
• Create software tests.
• Explain how different parts of a project work.

Claude Code helps developers with their work, but they still need to check the code and make important decisions.

Claude API and Developer Platform

Anthropic provides API access so developers can add Claude to their own apps.

An API is a tool that lets two software systems share information.

For example, a company could add Claude to its customer support system. Customers could ask questions on the company’s website, and Claude could help prepare answers.

Other uses include:

• Tools for checking documents.
• Company information assistants.
• Processing written content.
• Research apps.
• Software development tools.
• Business task automation.

Anthropic also provides tools and guides to help developers build and manage apps that use Claude.

Developers can learn more through the official Claude API documentation.

Enterprise AI Solutions

Anthropic also works with companies that want to use AI across their teams.

Its business products help workers use Claude for daily tasks and team projects.

Companies may use these tools to:

• Shorten business reports.
• Check company documents.
• Help customer service teams.
• Study large amounts of information.
• Support software teams.
• Prepare presentations and written materials.

Large companies may also need extra tools to manage users, control access, and protect business information.

Claude Science

Anthropic also offers AI tools for scientific research.

Claude Science is an AI workbench made for researchers. It brings AI help together with tools used in science.

It can help researchers work with scientific information, databases, computer tools, and research software.

Anthropic announced Claude Science on June 30, 2026. It was first offered as a beta to some Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise users on macOS and Linux. Users should check the official website for current access details.

What Is Anthropic AI Used For?

Anthropic’s AI tools can help with many types of work. What they can do depends on the model, the product, and the task.

Here are some common examples.

Writing and Content Creation

People can use Claude to write, edit, and improve content.

For example, a small business owner might ask Claude to write an email about a new service. A student might use it to organize study notes, while a marketing worker could ask it for new campaign ideas.

Users should always check the final content to make sure it is correct and suitable.

Research and Data Analysis

Claude can help people understand information in documents and supported files.

A researcher might ask it to shorten a report, compare results, or find important points in several documents.

A business worker might use it to study data or explain changes shown in a report.

However, users should check AI answers against the original information, especially before making important business or financial decisions.

Software Development

Developers can use Claude and Claude Code to help with programming.

For example, a developer might ask for help understanding a function, finding a coding error, or starting work on a new feature.

These tools can make some coding tasks easier. However, developers still need to check their work for errors and safety problems.

Business Productivity

Companies can use Anthropic’s products to help with repeated tasks.

These tasks may include making summaries, sorting documents, answering staff questions, and helping workers find information.

These tools may save time, but the results depend on how well they fit the company’s needs.

Education and Scientific Research

Students can use Claude to learn about difficult subjects, get explanations, and organize study notes.

Researchers can use tools such as Claude Science to help with parts of their work.

AI can help people learn and explore ideas, but it should not replace trusted books, expert advice, or proper research.

How Does Anthropic Make Money?

Anthropic makes money by charging people and businesses to use its AI products and services.

According to its SEC filing from October 26, 2026, the company has two main sources of income:

1. Subscription payments.
2. Payments based on how much customers use its services.

These are the main ways Anthropic earns money from its AI technology.

Paid Claude Subscriptions

People can use Claude through free and paid plans.

Paid plans offer extra features, higher usage limits, or more tools, depending on the plan.

Businesses can also pay for plans that help their teams use Claude at work.

These subscriptions give Anthropic regular income from customers who pay to use its products.

Prices and plan limits can change, so check the official Claude website for the latest details.

API and Usage-Based Pricing

Anthropic also makes money from customers who pay based on how much they use its AI models.

This is called usage-based pricing.

For example, a software company might connect its app to the Claude API. Each time the app sends information to Claude and gets a reply, the company may have to pay a fee.

The cost depends on things such as the model used and the amount of information processed.

This lets businesses pay for the AI services they use instead of buying a fixed plan for every task.

Enterprise Contracts and Partnerships

Anthropic also works with large companies and technology partners.

Some business customers sign contracts for one year or more. These contracts may include a minimum amount they agree to spend.

Cloud service companies can also offer Anthropic’s AI technology through their own platforms.

This gives businesses a way to use Claude without building and running their own large AI models.

How Much Revenue Does Anthropic Make?

Anthropic’s SEC filing gives details about the money the company earned in recent years.

Here are the figures reported in the filing:

Period	Usage-based revenue	Subscription revenue	Total revenue
2023	$39 million	$2 million	$41 million
2024	$288 million	$98 million	$386 million
2025	$3.796 billion	$789 million	$4.585 billion
First six months of 2026	$13.064 billion	$3.222 billion	$16.286 billion

Source: Anthropic’s SEC S-1 filing from October 26, 2026. The 2026 figures cover only six months, not the full year. They are also unaudited.

These figures show that most of Anthropic’s reported income comes from customers who pay based on how much they use its services.

This also explains why Anthropic focuses on more than paid chatbot plans. It earns money from businesses that use Claude through APIs, business services, and large contracts.

Is Anthropic a Nonprofit or a For-Profit Company?

Anthropic is a for-profit Public Benefit Corporation. It is not a nonprofit organization.

The difference is important.

A nonprofit usually does not share profits with owners or shareholders in the same way as a regular business.

A Public Benefit Corporation can earn money like other businesses, but it must also consider its stated public goals along with the interests of its shareholders.

Anthropic’s public goal is to develop advanced AI in a responsible way for the long-term good of humanity.

Why Does Anthropic Focus on AI Safety?

AI safety is one of the main areas of Anthropic’s research.

As AI models become more powerful, they can do more complex tasks. But they can also create new risks.

For example, an AI system might misunderstand a question, give false information, share private information, or provide harmful advice.

Anthropic studies these problems and works on ways to make its AI models safer and easier to guide.

What Is AI Alignment?

AI alignment means making an AI system follow human goals and suitable instructions.

For example, imagine asking an AI assistant how to protect a computer from hackers.

A well-guided AI system should give helpful safety advice instead of instructions that could help someone attack another person’s computer.

However, AI systems can still misunderstand questions or give unexpected answers.

Anthropic studies ways to reduce these problems and help its models follow instructions better.

What Is Constitutional AI?

Constitutional AI is a method Anthropic created to guide AI models using a written list of rules and principles.

The main idea is to give an AI system clear guidelines. The system can then use these guidelines to check its answers and find ways to improve them.

For example, imagine an AI assistant receives a question that could lead to harmful advice.

The AI can check its planned answer against its rules, find possible problems, and change the answer.

This method uses AI to review and improve answers instead of depending only on people to check every response.

Anthropic first shared its Constitutional AI research in December 2022. It later published an updated constitution for Claude in January 2026.

However, this method does not mean Claude will always give correct, fair, or safe answers. It is one way to improve AI behavior, not a complete answer to every safety problem.

What Is Anthropic’s Responsible Scaling Policy?

Anthropic also uses a safety plan called the Responsible Scaling Policy (RSP).

This plan explains how the company deals with risks as AI systems become more powerful.

It includes safety checks, risk tests, and steps to reduce possible dangers from advanced AI.

Anthropic updates this policy as it learns more about AI and its risks.

On August 14, 2026, the company shared an updated risk report about its AI models and safety plans.

Having a safety plan does not mean all risks are gone. It explains how the company tries to find and manage possible problems.

How Is Anthropic Different From OpenAI?

Anthropic and OpenAI are two major companies in the AI industry.

Both create AI models, offer chatbots, and provide tools for developers and businesses.

However, they are separate companies with different products and ways of working.

Anthropic vs. OpenAI

Area	Anthropic	OpenAI
Main AI assistant	Claude	ChatGPT
AI models	Claude models	GPT models
Coding tools	Claude Code	Codex and related tools
Developer services	Claude API	OpenAI API
Research areas	AI development, safety, and how models work	AI development, safety, and wider AI research
Customers	Individuals and businesses	Individuals and businesses

One key difference is that Anthropic gives special attention to understanding how AI models work inside. It also uses its Constitutional AI method.

OpenAI also studies AI safety. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that Anthropic is the only major AI company that cares about safe AI development.

Claude and ChatGPT can both help with writing, research, data, and coding.

Neither one is the best choice for every person or task. The right choice depends on what a user needs, which features they want, and how much they want to spend.

Does Anthropic Compete With Google and Other AI Companies?

Yes. Anthropic competes with several companies in the AI market.

Some of its main competitors include:

• OpenAI: Creates ChatGPT and GPT models.
• Google: Creates Gemini models and provides AI services.
• Microsoft: Offers AI products and cloud services.
• Meta: Creates AI models and AI-powered products.
• xAI: Develops Grok and other AI technology.

These companies do not all work in exactly the same way. Some compete by building AI models, while others also offer cloud services, software, and business tools.

Anthropic focuses on building Claude, selling access to its AI models, and studying ways to make AI safer and more reliable.

Who Owns Anthropic?

Anthropic is a Public Benefit Corporation owned by its shareholders. It is not owned by just one person or one technology company.

Its ownership and leadership structure includes shareholders, a board of directors, and a Long-Term Benefit Trust.

The Long-Term Benefit Trust (LTBT) has a special role in the company. It is meant to help Anthropic stay focused on its public goals and long-term duties.

Anthropic’s October 2026 SEC filing explains its share types, voting rights, and the roles of its founders and trust.

Dario Amodei is the CEO, while Daniela Amodei is the president and chair of the board.

Is Anthropic publicly traded?

Anthropic filed an S-1 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on October 26, 2026. The filing describes a planned stock market offering, known as an initial public offering (IPO).

However, filing an S-1 does not mean the company has completed its IPO. The offering still needs to go through the required approval process.

Final Thoughts: What Does Anthropic Do?

So, what does Anthropic do? It builds AI models, creates AI products, provides tools for developers and businesses, and studies ways to make advanced AI systems safer and more reliable.

Its best-known product is Claude, which helps people and companies with writing, research, coding, and other tasks.

Anthropic also earns money through paid plans, API services, and business contracts.

The company stands out because it works on both AI development and AI safety. As AI continues to grow, Anthropic will remain an important company to watch.

Frequently Asked Questions About Anthropic

What Is Anthropic Best Known For?

Anthropic is best known for creating Claude, its family of AI models and products. It is also known for studying AI safety and ways to make AI models easier to understand and guide.

Does Anthropic Own Claude?

Yes. Anthropic creates and runs Claude. Claude is the company’s AI product family, while Anthropic is the company behind it.

Is Anthropic the Same as ChatGPT?

No. Anthropic and OpenAI are two different companies.

Anthropic creates Claude, while OpenAI creates ChatGPT. Both tools can answer questions, write content, help with research, and complete other tasks.

Is Anthropic AI Free to Use?

Yes. Claude has a free plan for individual users, as well as paid plans.

The free plan may have usage limits. Paid plans offer extra features or higher limits. Visit the official Claude website to check the latest plans and prices.

Is Anthropic a Legitimate AI Company?

Yes. Anthropic is an established AI company with an official website, products, research papers, business operations, and an SEC registration statement.

However, this does not mean every answer from its AI products is correct. Users should check important information from trusted sources.

Who Are Anthropic’s Main Competitors?

Anthropic’s main competitors include OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and xAI.

These companies compete in areas such as AI models, chatbots, developer tools, business products, and cloud services.

What Is Anthropic’s Main Product?

Claude is Anthropic’s main AI product family. It includes chat tools and other AI products that help with writing, research, coding, and scientific work.

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Disclaimer:
This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Company details, products, prices, and services may change, so check official sources for the latest information. The article is not professional or financial advice. Some images may be AI-generated for illustrative purposes. All copyrights and trademarks belong to their respective owners.