Anthropic hires Steve Jarrett to boost Claude in Europe

Anthropic Hires Steve Jarrett to Boost Claude in Europe

The European artificial intelligence sector has just witnessed a major strategic shift. Steve Jarrett, previously the head of AI at Orange, is set to leave the historic French operator. He will officially join the American startup Anthropic starting August 25, 2026.

Jarrett will not be crossing the Atlantic, however: he will carry out his new duties from the company’s Paris offices. His main mission will be to help the creator of Claude better understand and adapt its products to the specific needs of the European and African markets.

A Profile Tailored for Global Tech and Anthropic's Expansion

His profile is ideal. A graduate of Stanford University, this executive boasts over 25 years of experience at the heart of Silicon Valley and global tech. Before joining Orange in 2019, he notably collaborated with Apple on the first models of the iPod and led one of the initial strategic machine learning programs at Facebook in 2013.

At the French operator, his promotion to head of AI allowed him to oversee the integration of artificial intelligence tools for 90% of the group’s employees. This recruitment is part of an especially aggressive acceleration strategy by Anthropic on the European continent. The company has been rapidly opening offices across the Old Continent: after Paris and Munich at the end of 2025, it inaugurated its sixth European branch in Milan last May. Fueled by massive fundraising, it now plans to triple its international workforce, even as it actively prepares for its IPO.

Orange Already Has a Successor

On its side, Orange has appointed Usman Javaid to succeed Jarrett. Holding a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Bordeaux and with solid experience at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Vodafone, he had been leading products and marketing at Orange Business since 2023. His roadmap is already clearly defined by the strategic plan “Trust the Future.”

The group thus maintains its extremely ambitious financial goal: to generate over 600 million euros in value through artificial intelligence by 2028. In this context, Javaid's mission will be to industrialize AI and agentic AI, aiming to optimize all telecommunications networks and profoundly transform customer relations.

Steve Jarrett is leaving the head of AI at Orange to join Anthropic on August 25. The creator of the Claude models is recruiting this seasoned profile to triple its workforce in Europe and conquer the African market. Orange appoints Usman Javaid to lead its strategy, maintaining its ambitious goal of generating 600 million euros in value through AI by 2028.