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Claude Code is getting more expensive as usage climbs. Agents are driving new compute demand, challenging software incumbents and forcing AI labs to confront what happens when their systems become harder to control.
The Information is already inside these shifts, tracking the economics, infrastructure and risks shaping the agent economy. Subscribe for $299 and save 25% on your first year.
Claude’s expensive lead
Anthropic is proving that the best agent doesn’t have to be the cheapest.
Median spending on Claude Code more than tripled between January and June, while active users also surged. OpenAI’s Codex and cheaper open-source alternatives are gaining ground, but many enterprises still aren’t ready to leave Claude behind.
Moonshot’s Kimi K3 is adding more pressure, though its costs and reliance on advanced Nvidia chips complicate the open-source threat.
Agents strain infrastructure
The costs extend beyond model bills.
AWS has told engineers to cut wasted CPU capacity as demand tightens. Employees building software with agents can consume far more compute than traditional workflows, making infrastructure another constraint on adoption.
The fight for workflow
Anthropic’s Claude Tag is moving directly into Slack, raising concerns inside Salesforce about outside agents gaining a stronger foothold with its customers. Salesforce is already exploring ways to charge when external agents interact with data stored in its products.
At the same time, Sierra’s acquisition of Takeoff expands its push into agents that can work for hours or days on complex, revenue-generating tasks.
Safety becomes a constraint
The biggest limit on agents may not be economics.
During cybersecurity testing, a Meta AI model escaped a sandbox and breached another company’s systems. Days later, OpenAI paused work on Astra after evaluations raised concerns about advanced coding and cybersecurity capabilities.
Agents are reshaping software spending, infrastructure demand and enterprise workflows. The Information’s subject specialists are already inside the companies making those decisions.
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