Anthropic hires Orange's AI chief Steve Jarrett as European expansion accelerates
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Anthropic hires Orange's AI chief as its European build-out accelerates
Steve Jarrett, Orange's chief AI officer since 2019, will join the Claude maker in Paris in late August to adapt its products for European and African markets. The head of artificial intelligence at the French telecoms group Orange is leaving to join Anthropic, a hire that lands squarely inside the US company's push into Europe. Steve Jarrett, Orange's chief AI officer since 2019, confirmed he had accepted a job at the maker of the Claude models, though he did not disclose his new title. Jarrett will start on 25 August and be based in Paris, according to a LinkedIn post, Reuters reported. His brief, at least to begin with, is to help Anthropic "better understand and adapt" its products to the needs of the European and African markets. After more than six years running AI for a European carrier, he arrives knowing the terrain Anthropic is trying to cover. Orange is not being left without a successor. The day before the move surfaced, the operator named Usman Javaid, currently chief product and marketing officer at its B2B arm Orange Business, as group chief AI officer, effective 1 September, TelecomTV reported. Javaid will report to group chief technology and innovation officer Bruno Zerbib, and brings a background spanning roles at Orange Business, Vodafone, and AWS across cloud, IoT, and network strategy. The succession, announced almost in lockstep with the departure, gives the comings and goings a tidiness that corporate transitions rarely manage. For Anthropic, the hire is one data point in a fast-moving expansion. The company opened its sixth European office, in Milan, last month, adding to a string of hubs that includes Paris and Munich. It has said it plans to triple its international workforce, and it is doing so while preparing to go public this year. The logic of poaching a telco's AI lead is not subtle. Anthropic sells frontier models; carriers like Orange are among the large enterprises it most wants as customers and distribution partners, and they operate across exactly the European and African geographies Jarrett is being asked to map. Hiring the person who ran AI on the buyer's side is a way of importing that perspective wholesale. The move also fits a broader pattern at the company, which has spent 2026 pulling senior talent from across the industry, including from OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and xAI. The Orange hire is smaller in profile than some of those, but more pointed: it is about a specific region and a specific kind of customer rather than raw research firepower. What Jarrett will actually be called, and how wide his remit runs, Anthropic has not said. For now the facts are narrow and confirmed: a European AI executive of some standing is changing sides, the company he is joining is expanding faster than it can open offices, and the continent he knows is the one it most wants to win. He starts in late August.
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Anthropic hires Orange's AI chief amid Europe push
Orange's Chief AI Officer, Steve Jarrett, is departing the French telecom giant to join U.S. AI startup Anthropic. He will be based in Paris and will focus on adapting Anthropic's AI products for European and African markets. This move comes as Anthropic, the creator of Claude and Mythos AI models, expands its international presence with a new office in Milan and plans to significantly grow its global team. The artificial intelligence head of French telecoms group Orange has left the company to join U.S. AI startup Anthropic, he said on Thursday. Steve Jarrett, Orange's Chief AI officer, said he has accepted a job at Anthropic, without disclosing his new title Jarrett had been with the European telecoms group since 2019 He will start at Anthropic on August 25 and will be based in Paris, according to a LinkedIn post Jarrett will initially help the company to "better understand and adapt" its products to the needs of the European and African market Anthropic opened its sixth European office in Milan last month The maker of the Claude and Mythos AI models, set to go public this year, is expanding in the continent amid plans to triple its international workforce.
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Anthropic hires Orange's AI chief amid Europe push
June 25 (Reuters) - The artificial intelligence head of French telecoms group Orange has left the company to join U.S. AI startup Anthropic, he said on Thursday. o Steve Jarrett, Orange's Chief AI officer, said he has accepted a job at Anthropic, without disclosing his new title o Jarrett had been with the European telecoms group since 2019 o He will start at Anthropic on August 25 and will be based in Paris, according to a LinkedIn post o Jarrett will initially help the company to "better understand and adapt" its products to the needs of the European and African market o Anthropic opened its sixth European office in Milan last month o The maker of the Claude and Mythos AI models, set to go public this year, is expanding in the continent amid plans to triple its international workforce (Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
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Steve Jarrett, who served as Orange's Chief AI Officer since 2019, is joining Anthropic in Paris to help adapt its Claude AI models for European and African markets. The move comes as the AI startup opens its sixth European office in Milan and plans to triple its international workforce ahead of a planned IPO this year.
Anthropic Secures Orange's AI Leadership for Regional Strategy
Steve Jarrett, who has served as Orange's Chief AI Officer since 2019, is leaving the French telecoms giant to join Anthropic
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. Set to start on August 25, Jarrett will be based in the Paris office and tasked with helping the AI startup better understand and adapt its products to the needs of European and African markets3
. While Anthropic has not disclosed his new title, the hire signals a strategic move to import deep regional expertise as the company accelerates its European build-out.
Source: Market Screener
Why Anthropic Hires Orange's AI Chief Matters
The decision to recruit Jarrett reflects Anthropic's focused approach to European expansion. After more than six years running AI innovation for a major European carrier, he brings intimate knowledge of the regulatory landscape, enterprise needs, and market dynamics that Anthropic must navigate to succeed. For an AI startup building Claude AI models and preparing for an IPO this year, hiring someone who understands both the buyer's perspective and regional nuances offers a significant advantage. Telecoms operators like Orange represent exactly the kind of enterprise customers and distribution partners that Anthropic needs to scale across Europe and Africa. By bringing Jarrett on board, the company gains direct insight into how large European enterprises evaluate and deploy AI solutions.
Rapid International Workforce Growth Continues
Anthropic opened its sixth European office in Milan last month, adding to existing hubs that include Paris and Munich. The company has committed to tripling its international workforce as it prepares to go public this year
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. This aggressive hiring and office expansion strategy demonstrates Anthropic's determination to establish a strong foothold in Europe before competitors can dominate the market. The maker of Claude and Mythos models has been pulling senior talent from across the industry in 2026, including from OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and xAI1
. While some hires focused on research capabilities, the Orange recruitment is more targeted—it's about winning a specific region with specific customer types rather than raw technical firepower.Adapting AI Products for European and African Markets
Jarrett's initial brief centers on adapting AI products for European and African markets, a task that requires balancing technical capability with regulatory compliance and cultural context
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. Europe's AI regulations are among the strictest globally, and African markets present unique infrastructure and localization challenges. Having led AI strategy at Orange, which operates across both continents, Jarrett understands these complexities firsthand. His experience will prove valuable as Anthropic tailors its offerings to meet diverse market requirements while maintaining competitive advantage. For businesses watching the AI landscape, this hire suggests Anthropic is moving beyond a US-centric approach and investing in genuine regional adaptation rather than simply translating existing products.What This Signals About AI Competition
The seamless transition at Orange—with Usman Javaid named as the new group Chief AI Officer effective September 1—suggests the move was planned rather than disruptive
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. Javaid brings experience from Orange Business, Vodafone, and AWS across cloud, IoT, and network strategy. For Anthropic, securing talent from established European enterprises while those companies maintain smooth succession indicates the AI startup's growing appeal as an employer and its ability to compete for top-tier executives. As Anthropic expands toward its planned IPO, observers should watch how effectively it converts regional expertise into market share, whether other European enterprises follow Orange's lead in partnering with the company, and how competitors respond to this targeted geographic strategy.References
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