Steve Jarrett, the artificial intelligence lead at French telecommunications group Orange, has confirmed he is leaving the company to join Anthropic, a U.S.-based artificial intelligence startup. Jarrett, who has held the role of Chief AI Officer at Orange since 2019, announced his move on Thursday but did not disclose his exact new title within Anthropic.
According to a LinkedIn post, Jarrett is due to start at Anthropic on August 25 and will operate out of Paris. He said his initial responsibilities will include helping the company better understand and adapt its product offerings to the needs of the European and African markets.
The hire follows a period of visible expansion by Anthropic in Europe. The company opened its sixth European office in Milan last month and has signaled plans to expand its international workforce significantly. Anthropic is the developer of the Claude and Mythos AI models and is set to go public later this year.
Jarrett's departure closes a near five-year tenure at Orange, where he joined in 2019. The move places him at the center of Anthropic's efforts to deepen its presence across the continent and in Africa by aligning product development with regional market needs.
Anthropic has framed its European push as a substantial growth initiative, including opening multiple offices and planning to triple its international headcount. Jarrett's role, as described in his announcement, will focus on product adaptation to regional requirements rather than on any specific operational or executive title disclosed publicly.
For now, the timeline is clear for Jarrett's start date and location, while details about his formal title and longer-term responsibilities at Anthropic remain unspecified in his public post. The appointment arrives as Anthropic prepares for a public offering this year and continues to scale its model development and international footprint.
Contextual note: The information above is drawn from Jarrett's public announcement and Anthropic's recent office openings and workforce plans as stated by the company. No additional details about Jarrett's formal role at Anthropic were disclosed.