Anthropic announced Monday it has acquired Stainless, a startup founded by former Stripe engineer Alex Rattray whose software is widely used by rival AI labs, including OpenAI and Google.
While Anthropic has not disclosed the financial specifics of the agreement, The Information reported last week that negotiations for the acquisition, backed by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, were valued at over $300 million.
This acquisition strategically removes a key infrastructure provider from Anthropic’s competitors. A representative from Anthropic stated to ToolsMixAi that the company will cease all hosted Stainless products, including the SDK generator. Nonetheless, existing Stainless customers will retain ownership of the SDKs they have created and will have the freedom to modify them as they see fit.
Founded in 2022, the New York-based startup quickly gained recognition in the AI landscape for automating the generation and upkeep of software development kits, or SDKs — vital resources for developers when interfacing with APIs.
Rattray designed software capable of transforming API specifications into production-ready SDKs for multiple programming languages, such as Python, TypeScript, Kotlin, Go, and Java. This platform became increasingly popular for its ability to automatically update SDKs in line with API changes, thereby streamlining a previously laborious maintenance process.
The technology has become essential for companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, which are developing AI agents that interact with various software systems. Stainless’s solutions facilitate the creation and management of these integrations, but now, these resources will be exclusive to Anthropic’s use.
Anthropic noted that every officially recognized SDK across its API has been generated using Stainless software since the inception of its services.
“I started Stainless because SDKs deserve as much care as the APIs they wrap,” Rattray expressed in a press release shared on Monday. “Anthropic was one of the first teams to bet on this with us. We have been observing the innovative work developers have executed on Claude over the past few years, making the decision to merge our teams straightforward. The team will continue doing what we love, on the platform where it counts most.”
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Analysis: This acquisition signifies Anthropic’s commitment to bolstering its technological edge in the competitive AI landscape. By integrating Stainless’s capabilities, Anthropic not only consolidates control over essential tools but also enhances its offerings, facilitating faster and more efficient development processes compared to its rivals.
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