Head of Claude Code: What happens after coding is solved | Boris Cherny
Boris Cherny is the creator and head of Claude Code at Anthropic. What began as a simple terminal-based prototype just a year ago has transformed the role of software engineering and is increasingly transforming all professional work.
We discuss:
- How Claude Code grew from a quick hack to 4% of public GitHub commits, with daily active users doubling last month
- The counterintuitive product principles that drove Claude Code’s success
- Why Boris believes coding is “solved”
- The latent demand that shaped Claude Code and Cowork
- Practical tips for getting the most out of Claude Code and Cowork
- How underfunding teams and giving them unlimited tokens leads to better AI products
- Why Boris briefly left Anthropic for Cursor, then returned after just two weeks
- Three principles Boris shares with every new team member
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Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/head-of-claude-code-what-happens
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Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0
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Where to find Boris Cherny:
- X: https://x.com/bcherny
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bcherny
- Website: https://borischerny.com
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Where to find Lenny:
- Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction to Boris and Claude Code
(03:45) Why Boris briefly left Anthropic for Cursor (and what brought him back)
(05:35) One year of Claude Code
(08:41) The origin story of Claude Code
(13:29) How fast AI is transforming software development
(15:01) The importance of experimentation in AI innovation
(16:17) Boris’s current coding workflow (100% AI-written)
(17:32) The next frontier
(22:24) The downside of rapid innovation
(24:02) Principles for the Claude Code team
(26:48) Why you should give engineers unlimited tokens
(27:55) Will coding skills still matter in the future?
(32:15) The printing press analogy for AI’s impact
(36:01) Which roles will AI transform next?
(40:41) Tips for succeeding in the AI era
(44:37) Poll: Which roles are enjoying their jobs more with AI
(46:32) The principle of latent demand in product development
(51:53) How Cowork was built in just 10 days
(54:04) The three layers of AI safety at Anthropic
(59:35) Anxiety when AI agents aren’t working
(01:02:25) Boris’s Ukrainian roots
(01:03:21) Advice for building AI products
(01:08:38) Pro tips for using Claude Code effectively
(01:11:16) Thoughts on Codex
(01:12:13) Boris’s post-AGI plans
(01:14:02) Lightning round and final thoughts
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References: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/head-of-claude-code-what-happens
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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