Anthropic Cuts Access to Claude AI Models for Windsurf Amid OpenAI Acquisition Rumors

Anthropic Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, Jared Kaplan, recently shed light on why his company severed direct access to its Claude AI models from Windsurf. Speaking at TechCrunch's TC Sessions: AI 2025, Kaplan explained that the main reason was the circulation of rumors and reports suggesting OpenAI, Anthropic's primary rival, was in talks to acquire Windsurf. “It would be odd for us to be selling Claude to OpenAI,” Kaplan remarked, highlighting the company's strategy to focus on sustainable, long-term partnerships. This statement follows a Bloomberg report from a few weeks ago, which claimed OpenAI was planning to acquire Windsurf for $3 billion. In reaction, Windsurf announced that Anthropic had cut off its direct access to the Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3.7 Sonnet models, two of the most widely used for AI coding. This unexpected termination has forced Windsurf to seek alternative computing resources, leading to potential short-term disruptions for users. When reached for comment, Windsurf declined to respond to Kaplan’s remarks, and OpenAI has yet to provide any official statement regarding the acquisition rumors. Both companies remain tight-lipped on the matter. Kaplan also noted that Anthropic's decision was partly driven by its current limitations in computing power. The company aims to reserve its resources for partnerships that will endure, ensuring it can meet the needs of its core customers. Despite this setback for Windsurf, Anthropic is actively working to expand the availability of its models. Kaplan mentioned that the company is beginning to tap into a new computing cluster provided by Amazon, which he described as “really big and continuing to scale.” This development should help Anthropic meet the growing demand for its services in the coming months. In the midst of these changes, Kaplan revealed that Anthropic is fostering collaborations with other AI coding tool builders, such as Cursor. He emphasized that Anthropic sees itself working with Cursor for an extended period and does not view the company as a competitor. Instead, Anthropic is focusing on the development of its own agentic coding products, including Claude Code. Kaplan believes that the traditional chatbot paradigm, which many competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Meta are pursuing, is restrictive and less dynamic. He envisions AI agents playing a more significant role in the future, offering more interactive and flexible solutions for users. According to Kaplan, these agents will ultimately provide more value compared to the static nature of chatbots. As the landscape of AI continues to evolve, Anthropic’s strategic decisions highlight its commitment to building lasting relationships with partners and developing innovative, user-centric products. The move to limit access to Windsurf and prioritize internal projects like Claude Code underscores Anthropic's ambitious goals and its position in the competitive AI market.