Anthropic is spending $100 million to train 10,000 engineers, because AI still needs someone who knows where the fuse box is
By Brett Gavaghan, Founder of Adaptd ·
On 2 October Anthropic launched Claude Frontier Academy, a $100 million program to train 10,000 engineers to build Claude systems inside businesses by the end of 2027. Commonwealth Bank of Australia is in the first cohorts.
The short version
- Claude Frontier Academy is a $100 million Anthropic program to train 10,000 engineers to deploy Claude inside businesses by the end of 2027.
- It's by nomination for enterprise customers and partners, with first cohorts including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Accenture and Deloitte.
- Smaller businesses can't join, but can borrow the idea: one named person who owns each AI project.
The AI companies have spent two years telling us the models are the hard part. Anthropic has now put $100 million behind the idea that the people are.
What is Claude Frontier Academy?
Claude Frontier Academy is a training program from Anthropic that aims to train 10,000 Frontier Deployed Engineers by the end of 2027. These are engineers who take a Claude project from idea to a working system inside a business, including the security review and the handover.
Anthropic modelled it on how doctors train. Engineers do an in-person program and a simulated deployment, sit a graded practical, then spend 12 weeks leading a real Claude project at their own organisation before a final assessment. The first full badges are expected in early 2027.
Who can take part?
Claude Frontier Academy is by nomination, for engineers at Anthropic's enterprise customers and partners. The first cohorts include Accenture, Bain, Capgemini, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Deloitte, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley and Novo Nordisk, and they're running in San Francisco, New York and London.
Each engineer arrives with a named Claude project to lead back at work. Which is a nice touch. Nobody gets to do the course and then wander off to file it under professional development.
What does it mean for a smaller business?
A smaller business can't join Claude Frontier Academy, but the reason it exists applies to everyone: AI projects stall without a person who understands both the tool and how the business runs.
My take: you don't need a residency, you need a name next to each AI project. Someone who owns it, tests it and knows who to call when it breaks. Otherwise it's a bit like a new kitchen with no one who knows where the fuse box is. Lovely, right up until the lights go out.
Wondering what this means for your business?
That's exactly what the discovery call is for.