San Francisco—Thousands of tech professionals packed the Moscone Center for the HumanX AI conference this week, and the name on most lips was Claude, Anthropic’s flagship chatbot. Panels and informal conversations alike praised the tool’s ability to handle business workflows and assist developers, positioning it as the go‑to agentic AI for many enterprises.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, by contrast, was mentioned far less often. Vendors on the expo floor told reporters they favored Claude for its reliability and ease of integration, while some expressed disappointment with OpenAI’s recent product direction. One vendor remarked that OpenAI seemed to have “gone downhill,” echoing a broader sentiment that the company’s focus has drifted.

The perception shift follows a string of high‑profile setbacks for OpenAI. Last month, the firm shelved several side projects, including its AI video generator Sora and a planned “sexy” version of ChatGPT, to concentrate on business and coding services. Simultaneously, a New Yorker profile questioning CEO Sam Altman’s trustworthiness and OpenAI’s partnership with the Trump administration stirred negative buzz.

Even OpenAI’s leadership tried to defend its standing. Sierra’s co‑founder and OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor told reporters that Altman remains “a remarkable leader of AI.” Yet critics argue the company appears reactive, scrambling to address controversies rather than steering the industry.

Despite the challenges, OpenAI’s financials remain strong. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that both OpenAI and Anthropic rank among the fastest‑growing tech businesses. Nonetheless, data suggest Anthropic is closing the gap among business users, with Claude gaining traction in sectors that demand robust, agentic assistance.

In a bid to win back developers, OpenAI announced a new $100‑per‑month ChatGPT subscription tier that offers expanded access to Codex, its coding assistant. OpenAI CTO Srinivas Narayanan told Bloomberg’s Rachel Metz that the pace of AI innovation is “incredible,” noting that the field has transformed dramatically in just a few months.

Anthropic’s momentum at HumanX underscores a broader market realignment. As companies scramble to embed AI into everyday workflows, the tools that deliver consistent performance and clear value propositions are emerging as the new standards.

While OpenAI continues to roll out new offerings, the conference highlighted a growing appetite for alternatives that can deliver on the promise of agentic AI without the baggage of recent controversies. Whether Anthropic can sustain its lead remains to be seen, but for now, Claude enjoys the spotlight that many expected OpenAI to command.

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