Replit, the popular cloud-based coding platform, has shifted its default AI partner from Anthropic to OpenAI, CEO Amjad Masad announced at TechCrunch Disrupt on October 16, 2026. This strategic change was driven by several factors, including cost-effectiveness, performance, and the strength of the partnership with OpenAI. While Replit had previously relied on Anthropic’s Claude models to power its platform, and was among Anthropic’s top customers, the company now prefers OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the default for the majority of its users.

Despite this shift, Replit has not completely severed ties with Anthropic. Masad clarified that users can still access Anthropic’s AI models on the platform if they choose, but the default setting favors OpenAI. This move could significantly reduce Replit’s spending with Anthropic, as most customers tend to use the default AI model rather than manually selecting alternatives. Prior to August 2026, Replit’s partnership with Anthropic was crucial for its growth, reportedly helping the company increase revenue tenfold.

Masad also shared insights into Replit’s evolving business model, revealing that enterprise contracts now account for about 15% of its revenue, up from just 2% the previous year. Over half of Replit’s revenue is currently derived from B2B sources, and Masad expects enterprise and government clients to make up the majority of revenue in 2027. He emphasized the importance of a safe and secure “habitat” for AI agents to perform well, highlighting the need for strong orchestration, error recovery, sandboxing, and security measures.

There has been some contradiction from insiders regarding whether the partnership with Anthropic has fully ended, as recent company communications continued to promote Anthropic’s models. Blog posts and social media from late September reference the use of Anthropic’s latest Claude models in production at Replit. Nonetheless, OpenAI remains the preferred partner for powering Replit Agent due to its superior cost, performance, and collaboration benefits. The article was updated post-publication to clarify these partnership nuances.