The AI race heats up as businesses switch to a new leader

Businesses in the U. S. are now more likely to pay for Anthropic’s AI tool than OpenAI’s. In April 2026, Anthropic’s adoption hit 34. 4%, while OpenAI’s dropped to 32. 3%. The shift happened quickly—just a year ago, OpenAI led with 32%, and Anthropic barely registered. What changed? Anthropic’s coding tool, Claude Code, became a favorite among engineers, especially in tech-heavy fields like software and finance.

But the win might not last. Anthropic’s pricing model charges by usage, which can lead to unexpected costs. Uber, for example, burned through its entire AI budget in four months by relying too heavily on Claude Code. Some employees ran up bills between $500 and $2, 000 per month, forcing companies to rethink their spending. Meanwhile, OpenAI is pushing back with cheaper options like Codex, which does similar work at a lower price. There’s also a bigger question: Is AI really making companies more productive? Recent surveys show half of U. S. employees now use AI in their jobs, but only 10% say it’s transformed how their company operates. The hype hasn’t matched reality yet.

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