YouTube17 Feb 2026

Boris Cherny: How We Built Claude Code

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Y Combinator

Boris Cherny, creator of Claude Code, discusses the development, usage, and future of AI-assisted coding. Cherny emphasizes Anthropic's strategy of building for future model capabilities, advising founders to focus on areas where current models struggle, as those will improve rapidly. He recounts Claude Code's accidental origin as a terminal-based API tool, highlighting its surprising utility and the team's iterative, user-driven approach to development. The conversation covers the importance of "latent demand" in product development, the trade-offs between model-specific scaffolding and waiting for general model improvements, and the evolving role of software engineers in an AI-driven world, where coding becomes more accessible and engineers become generalists. Cherny also touches on AI safety and Anthropic's mission-driven approach.

Outlines

Part 1: Origins and Strategy

Part 2: Product Evolution and Iteration

Part 3: Talent and Team Dynamics

Part 4: Autonomous Agents and Planning

Part 5: Design Philosophy and Productivity

Part 6: Mission, Safety, and Future Impact

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