Anthropic Kappt Claude access for windsurf after Openai takeover rings-Image: Xpert.digital
Openai takeover triggers AI conflict: Anthropic caps Windsurf connection to Claude models
Billion-heavy takeover ensures breakage: Anthropic VS Windsurf in the AI developer market
Anthropic's decision to withdraw almost all of direct access to its Claude 3.X models marks the decision of the Ki-Coding tool Windsurf, a significant shift in the AI developer landscape. This strategic measure took place with less than a week and is directly related to reports on a planned takeover of Windsurf by Openai for an estimated $ 3 billion. Anthropic co-founder Jared Kaplan mainly justified the step with competition concerns and limited arithmetic resources, while Windsurf-CEO Varun Mohan was disappointed with the short-term decision. The access restriction affects the Claude 3.5 Sonnet, 3.7 Sonnet and 3.7 Models in particular, which are particularly valuable for developers in AI-supported programming tasks.
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Background of the Openai windsurf takeover
The tensions between Anthropic and Windsurf began to become publicly visible when reports on a potential takeover of windsurf by Openai appeared in May 2025. Bloomberg reported that Openai wanted to acquire the popular coding tool for about $ 3 billion. Although neither Openaai nor windsurfs have officially confirmed these takeover regulations, they have already had a significant impact on business relationships between the companies involved.
The news about the possible takeover was not completely surprising for many market observers, since Openaai wants to strengthen his position in the growing segment of AI-based developer tools. Windsurf had established itself as one of the leading “vibe coding” tools that enable developers more efficient programming through AI support. Against this background, Anthropic's reaction appears as a logical step to protect your own market position.
History of cooperation
The relationship between Anthropic and Windsurf had already received cracks before the current controversy. It was striking that Windsurf was overlooked 4 models when the new Claude was introduced, while other competitors such as Cursor, Devin and Github Copilot have already received access on the starting day. This indicates that Anthropic may have been planning strategic adjustments in his partnerships for a long time.
Details for the access restriction for windsurf
With less than five days a lead, Anthropic has withdrawn almost all of the direct access to its Claude 3.X models. The Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Claude 3.7 Sonnet Thinking, which are valuable for developers, are particularly affected. These models are considered to be particularly powerful for programming tasks in the developer community.
There is a certain access to third -party providers, according to Windsurf, this capacity is far from sufficient to meet the existing demand. The drastic incision forced the company to quickly build alternative infrastructures and make adjustments for its users.
Alternative access options
In response to the restrictions, Windsurf has taken several measures:
- The Bring-Your-Rum Key model (BYOK) continues to enable users to access Claude models with their own Anthropic API key.
- Claude Sonnet 4 also remains usable via the Byok solution.
- As an alternative, Windsurf offers the Gemini 2.5 Pro model at a reduced price (factor 0.75 instead of the usual 1x costs).
However, developers classified these solutions as more expensive and more complicated than the previous direct access. A concrete example of this is Ronald Mannak, a startup founder specializing in Swift programming, who, due to the access problems from Windsurf, switched to the competitive product Cursor in order to be able to work more easily with Claude 4.
Anthropic's reason for the access restriction
Jared Kaplan, co -founder and Chief Science Officer from Anthropic, has publicly defended his company's decision during the TC Sessions: AI 2025. He called two main reasons for the withdrawal of the Claude access for windsurf:
Competition strategic considerations
Kaplan confirmed as the primary reason that the decision is directly related to the reports on the planned takeover of windsurf by Openaai. He literally said: "I would find it strange to sell Claude to Openaai". Anthropic therefore wants to concentrate on “permanent partnerships” and sees no future in delivering your own AI models to the greatest direct competitor.
Limited arithmetic resources
As a second reason, Kaplan led to limited arithmetic resources. He emphasized that Anthropic is currently very limited and preferred to have his computing power for reserving what he described as “sustainable partnerships”. At the same time, he assured that Anthropic is currently working on an expansion of his capacities - among other things through new Amazon infrastructure.
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Effects on windsurf users and their reactions
The sudden access restriction has direct consequences for windsurf and its user community:
Immediate measures from Windsurf
As an immediate consequence, Windsurf had to delete direct access to the Claude 3.X models for users of the free version and test users of the PRO-Plan. CEO Varun Mohan publicly expressed his disappointment with the decision and the short lead time. He emphasized that Windsurf would have been ready to pay for the full capacity of the Claude models.
Frustration in the developer community
Several windsurfing users have expressed their frustration through the lack of direct access to Anthropics's best AI coding models. The bring-your-down key solution is seen as a cumbersome workaround, which is more expensive and more complicated than the previous direct integration.
The situation illustrates a fundamental problem for developers in the field of AI supported programming: Although you want to optimally choose between different AI models, you are increasingly dependent on strategic decisions from the large AI companies.
Market strategic classification
Anthropic's decision must be considered in the broader context of the changing AI market landscape:
Own AI Coding ambitions from Anthropic
In the past few months, Anthropic has increasingly invested in its own AI coding applications. In February 2025, the company started its own “Claude Code” application, and in May 2025 it organized the first “Code with Claude” developer conference. These steps indicate anthropics ambitions to gain a foothold even more in the coding area.
Intensified competition in the “Vibe Coding” sector
The AI-based coding sector, also known as “Vibe Coding”, has intensified in recent months. Openai, Google and Anthropic regularly publish new AI models that are achieving better and better performance in programming tasks. In this environment, optionality-i.e. to use different AI models-is a decisive advantage for “Vibe Coding” startups.
By taking Windsurf, Openaai would significantly strengthen its position in this growing market. At the same time, Anthropic tries to protect its own resources through the access restriction and not to strengthen the competitive position.
From cooperation to competition: Anthropic VS Windsurf and the consequences for developers
Anthropic's decision to withdraw windsurfs to access its Claude models illustrates the increasing competitive dynamics in the AI market. What may appear at first glance like a technical or capacity -related conflict turns out to be a strategic move in a rapidly developing market environment on closer inspection.
This development has several important implications for the future of the AI industry. First, it shows that access controls to lead to leading AI models are increasingly being used as a strategic instrument. Second, it underlines the growing importance of vertical integration, in which companies try to control both the basic models and the application level. Third, she illustrates the challenges for developers and end users who are directly affected by changes in the business relationships of large AI companies.
For the near future, it remains to be seen whether the planned takeover of windsurf by Openai actually comes about and how the relationships between the large AI model providers will develop. A further consolidation of the market probably appears, with control over high-quality AI models remains a decisive competitive advantage.
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