For the first time, more American businesses are choosing Anthropic’s Claude over OpenAI’s ChatGPT, according to the Ramp AI Index released in May 2026. Adoption of Anthropic rose 3.8% in April to 34.4%, while OpenAI’s fell 2.9% to 32.3%. This milestone caps a year of rapid growth for Anthropic, which transformed from a niche favorite among early adopters to the leading AI model in corporate America, driven largely by its Claude Code tool. However, this lead faces significant risks including rising costs, compute limitations, and a pricing model that incentivizes higher usage costs, leading some enterprises to budget constraints. Additionally, OpenAI’s Codex and open-source AI models present competitive threats, while Anthropic works to expand capacity through strategic partnerships and new compute agreements. Despite the rapid uptake, surveys show AI’s productivity boost remains more task-specific than transformative at an organizational level. The choice of Claude over cheaper alternatives may be influenced by cultural and identity factors within the enterprise sector, highlighting a complex dynamic in AI adoption and market disruption.
Back
