Anthropic's Claude Gains Momentum Amid Feud with DOD

The AI platform's paid subscribers have more than doubled this year, outpacing ChatGPT's new subscribers in the process.

A recent analysis of billions of anonymized credit card transactions conducted by Indagari, a consumer transaction analysis company, shows Claude gaining paid subscribers in record numbers. The data, which spans about 28 million U.S. consumers, reveals that new users returned to Claude in record numbers in February as well.

Indagari's findings suggest that the majority of new subscribers are at Claude's lowest tier, 'Pro' users, which costs $20 per month. This tier is significantly cheaper than Claude's higher-end plans, which cost $100 or $200 per month.

While OpenAI's uninstalls spiked immediately after it announced a deal with the DOD, Indagari's data shows that OpenAI is still gaining new paid subscribers at a rapid rate and remains the biggest consumer AI platform of them all.

Key Statistics:

• Claude's paid subscribers have more than doubled this year
• New users returned to Claude in record numbers in February
• The majority of new subscribers are at Claude's lowest tier, 'Pro' users

Factors Contributing to Claude's Growth:

• Anthropic's Super Bowl commercials mocking ChatGPT's decision to show ads to its users
• The release of Claude Code and Claude Cowork, developer and productivity tools
• The Computer Use feature, which allows Claude to navigate a computer independently

What This Means for the Industry:

Anthropic's growth among U.S. consumers willing to pay for AI is a significant development in the market. While Claude remains a long way behind ChatGPT, its momentum is undeniable. As the feud between Anthropic and the DOD continues to play out, it will be interesting to see how this affects the company's growth and the broader AI industry.

"The attention Anthropic has generated, coupled with the company's funny Super Bowl ads taking aim at OpenAI and the surging popularity of Claude Code, has made Anthropic more popular with consumers than ever," says Julie Bort, Venture Editor at TechCrunch.

Conclusion:

Anthropic's Claude is gaining momentum in the AI market, outpacing ChatGPT's new subscribers in the process. As the company continues to grow and evolve, it will be worth keeping an eye on how this affects the broader industry.