Replit, the AI-powered coding platform popular with startup founders and developers, is no longer working with Anthropic. CEO and co-founder Amjad Masad disclosed the split onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt on Thursday, saying the decision was driven by cost, performance benchmarks, and partnership dynamics. The revelation caught many by surprise, as Replit had publicly announced its Anthropic partnership without any indication it was ending.
Replit announced a partnership with OpenAI in August, but there was no public indication at the time that the Anthropic relationship had ended. Under the previous deal, Replit used Anthropic's Claude models to power its browser-based development platform, a partnership that reportedly helped the company grow revenue significantly. Masad said the switch was not abrupt but rather the result of ongoing evaluation.
Masad said OpenAI's Sol and Astra models consistently outperform Claude on Replit's internal benchmarks for building vibe-coded applications from scratch. He called ChatGPT better now than when the original partnership was formed, citing improvements in code generation quality and speed. However, insiders familiar with the arrangement pushed back on Masad's characterization, with one person saying the Anthropic partnership is still technically in place despite the practical shift to OpenAI.
The switch highlights how quickly the AI coding tools market is shifting. As model providers compete for platform deals, the switching costs are dropping, and platforms like Replit are willing to move quickly when they see performance or cost advantages elsewhere. For developers, the practical impact may be minimal — but for Anthropic, losing a high-profile distribution partner is a competitive signal.
