# Anthropic is No. 1 on Best Workplaces for Innovators 2026 > Source: > Published: 2026-09-08 11:00:00+00:00 Claude Code began as an internal tool used by Anthropic engineers to help test [AI](https://www.fastcompany.com/section/artificial-intelligence) models and assist with coding projects. It quickly got picked up across the company as developers saw their colleagues using it, and its popularity suggested commercial potential. The company released it to the public early in 2025. Claude Code helped popularize “vibe coding” and helped cement Anthropic’s position as a leader in the fiercely competitive artificial intelligence market. It became one of the fastest growing software tools in history, even as rivals released competing tools. Its impact only accelerated when the February 2026 release of Claude Cowork, designed to let AI help even users without a software development background automate a broader range of tasks, contributed to a selloff of enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) stocks. Since February 2025, Anthropic’s valuation has exploded from $61 billion to nearly $1 trillion, with an initial public offering expected as early as October. Though Anthropic’s reputation as AI’s safety-first operator may have evolved into something more complicated amid regulatory battles and the general controversy around the industry, its culture of innovation continues to push the envelope of what’s possible. And all Anthropic employees are encouraged to prototype new ideas and take advantage of benefits like flexible education stipends and an office environment with varied spaces designed for different working styles and needs. “At Anthropic, ensuring our employees feel empowered to innovate is at the core of what we do,” Anthropic tells *Fast Company*. “Our approach rests on removing the friction, bureaucracy, and burnout that typically stand between a good idea and a shipped one.” The company also recently launched the Anthropic Institute, a research arm tracking the capabilities of AI technology and its impact, including through an Anthropic Economic Index that tracks AI’s impact on labor markets.