<p><strong>Boris Cherny</strong> is the creator and head of Claude Code at Anthropic. What began as a simple terminal-based prototype just a year ago has transformed the role of software engineering and is increasingly transforming all professional work.</p><p></p><p><strong>We discuss:</strong></p><p>1. How Claude Code grew from a quick hack to 4% of public GitHub commits, with daily active users doubling last month</p><p>2. The counterintuitive product principles that drove Claude Code’s success</p><p>3. Why Boris believes coding is “solved”</p><p>4. The latent demand that shaped Claude Code and Cowork</p><p>5. Practical tips for getting the most out of Claude Code and Cowork</p><p>6. How underfunding teams and giving them unlimited tokens leads to better AI products</p><p>7. Why Boris briefly left Anthropic for Cursor, then returned after just two weeks</p><p>8. Three principles Boris shares with every new team member</p><p>—</p><p><strong>Brought to you by:</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://getdx.com/lenny"><strong>DX</strong></a>—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchers: <a target="_blank" href="https://getdx.com/lenny">https://getdx.com/lenny</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://sentry.io/lenny"><strong>Sentry</strong></a>—Code breaks, fix it faster: <a target="_blank" href="https://sentry.io/lenny">https://sentry.io/lenny</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://metaview.ai/lenny"><strong>Metaview</strong></a>—The AI platform for recruiting: <a target="_blank" href="https://metaview.ai/lenny">https://metaview.ai/lenny</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Episode transcript:</strong> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/head-of-claude-code-what-happens">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/head-of-claude-code-what-happens</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&#38;st=ahz0fj11&#38;dl=0">https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Where to find Boris Cherny:</strong></p><p>• X: <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/bcherny">https://x.com/bcherny</a></p><p>• LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bcherny">https://www.linkedin.com/in/bcherny</a></p><p>• Website: <a target="_blank" href="https://borischerny.com">https://borischerny.com</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Where to find Lenny:</strong></p><p>• Newsletter: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com</a></p><p>• X: <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/lennysan">https://twitter.com/lennysan</a></p><p>• LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><p>(00:00) Introduction to Boris and Claude Code</p><p>(03:45) Why Boris briefly left Anthropic for Cursor (and what brought him back)</p><p>(05:35) One year of Claude Code</p><p>(08:41) The origin story of Claude Code</p><p>(13:29) How fast AI is transforming software development</p><p>(15:01) The importance of experimentation in AI innovation</p><p>(16:17) Boris’s current coding workflow (100% AI-written)</p><p>(17:32) The next frontier</p><p>(22:24) The downside of rapid innovation </p><p>(24:02) Principles for the Claude Code team</p><p>(26:48) Why you should give engineers unlimited tokens</p><p>(27:55) Will coding skills still matter in the future?</p><p>(32:15) The printing press analogy for AI’s impact</p><p>(36:01) Which roles will AI transform next?</p><p>(40:41) Tips for succeeding in the AI era</p><p>(44:37) Poll: Which roles are enjoying their jobs more with AI</p><p>(46:32) The principle of latent demand in product development</p><p>(51:53) How Cowork was built in just 10 days</p><p>(54:04) The three layers of AI safety at Anthropic</p><p>(59:35) Anxiety when AI agents aren’t working</p><p>(01:02:25) Boris’s Ukrainian roots</p><p>(01:03:21) Advice for building AI products</p><p>(01:08:38) Pro tips for using Claude Code effectively</p><p>(01:11:16) Thoughts on Codex</p><p>(01:12:13) Boris’s post-AGI plans</p><p>(01:14:02) Lightning round and final thoughts</p><p>—</p><p><strong>References: </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/head-of-claude-code-what-happens">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/head-of-claude-code-what-happens</a></p><p>—</p><p>Production and marketing by <a target="_blank" href="https://penname.co/">https://penname.co/</a>. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email <a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p><p>—</p><p><em>Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.</em></p> <br/><br/>To hear more, visit <a href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=show-notes-no-free-preview-language">www.lennysnewsletter.com</a>