Anthropic and Claude Code: The Pricing Controversy That Amuses OpenAI

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Key Takeaways

1Anthropic tested a price increase for Claude Code, affecting 2% of new users, causing confusion and anger.

2Sam Altman from OpenAI took advantage of the situation to mock Anthropic on social media, promoting his own tool Codex.

3Despite the price test, Claude Code remains available for $20 per month for Pro users, with no changes for existing subscribers.

💡Why it matters — Anthropic's pricing adjustments highlight the challenges of AI in the face of growing demand and high operating costs.

Claude Code and the Pricing Controversy

Anthropic recently sparked a wave of confusion and discontent among its users due to an apparent change in the pricing of its Claude Code tool. This tool, widely used in programming and software engineering, seemed to no longer be accessible to Pro users for $20 per month. This information stemmed from an update on the pricing page, which suggested that users would now need to pay $100 per month to continue using Claude Code.

User reactions were swift, expressing their frustration on social media. However, Anthropic quickly clarified the situation, explaining that it was a pricing experiment affecting only 2% of new sign-ups. For existing users, no changes had been made.

OpenAI and Sam Altman: Amused Spectators

While confusion reigned, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, along with his employees, seized the opportunity to mock Anthropic. On social media, Altman made a series of jokes, indicating that he had "had a few drinks" while poking fun at the situation. He also directed users to Codex, OpenAI's competing coding tool. Altman even responded to Anthropic's growth lead with an "Ok boomer," adding a touch of derision to the situation. Memes also circulated, amplifying the mockery.

Return to Normal for Claude Code Users

Amol Avasare, Anthropic's growth lead, spoke on X to explain that the pricing changes had been "understandably confusing." He announced that the company was reverting to the previous pricing documentation, clarifying that Claude Code remained available for Pro users at $20 per month, or $200 for an annual subscription. Avasare assured that users would be notified in advance of any future pricing changes. The homepage and documentation changes were restored to avoid any further confusion.

Unexpected Demand and Necessary Adjustments

Avasare also explained that when the Max subscription was launched in 2025, Anthropic did not anticipate the current demand. At that time, Max did not include Claude Code, Cowork did not exist, and agents operating during hours were not envisioned. The Max plan had been designed for intensive chat use only.

However, usage habits have evolved significantly. Subscriber engagement has increased considerably, and the current pricing plans are no longer suited to this new reality. As a result, Anthropic has adjusted usage limits for Pro and Max subscribers, meaning some users are now reaching their caps more quickly than before.

Additionally, Claude has experienced several major outages, adding to the pressure on the company. Anthropic is facing two major trends: enormous demands of the agentic AI era and growing popularity. "We are exploring different options to continue providing a great experience for users," Avasare wrote. "We don't know exactly what that will look like yet - that's what we are testing and gathering feedback on right now."

Anthropic's "Darling" Status in Question

Anthropic, which has long been considered a "darling" in the AI race, now faces criticism regarding its pricing adjustments. Its AI services, which rely on expensive-to-build, train, and operate LLMs, are at the center of this controversy. These challenges highlight the difficulty for Anthropic in meeting the growing demands of the agentic AI era while managing unprecedented popularity.