OpenAI and Anthropic are trying to out-freebie each other (www.businessinsider.com)

OpenAI and Anthropic have entered a competitive "freebie war," as both companies recently announced enhanced free usage offers for their coding tools—OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed a two-month free trial for companies signing up within the next 30 days, emphasizing Codex as the leading AI coding product. Meanwhile, Anthropic increased the weekly limits for Claude Code by 50% for various user tiers, aiming to encourage experimentation with their tools. This battle for user engagement is crucial as both companies seek to secure high-value corporate clients amidst substantial investments—OpenAI is valued at $840 billion, while Anthropic recently attracted interest at around $800 billion. The move follows recent challenges Anthropic faced with its latest model, Opus 4.7, which had been criticized for speed and accuracy issues. By offering these free incentives, both companies aim to attract and retain users in a rapidly growing AI landscape, emphasizing the importance of customer loyalty given the financial pressures and escalating competition in the AI/ML market.