Claude Code hits $2.5B ARR as Anthropic cements coding AI dominance

Claude Code reached $2.5B in annualized revenue, up from $1B in its first six months after launch. The tool was originally created as a side project in an experimental division the engineer compares to Bell Labs, gaining traction when Anthropic employees "voted with their feet" and adopted it internally before its public release. The product forced OpenAI into catch-up mode and expanded beyond AI-forward startups to Fortune 500 engineering teams and hobbyists. Use cases range from growing tomato plants to helping plan NASA Mars rover routes.

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