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According to Thenextweb, Anthropic has secured the services of Steve Jarrett, who previously served as the chief AI officer for Orange since 2019. The move is designed to bolster the American company's efforts to localize its artificial intelligence products for diverse international regions.
Strategic focus on European and African markets
Jarrett is scheduled to begin his new role in Paris on August 25. While Anthropic has not officially disclosed his specific title, his primary objective involves helping the firm "better understand and adapt" its technology to meet the unique requirements of users across Europe and Africa. His experience managing AI for a major European carrier provides him with deep insights into the regulatory and commercial landscape that Anthropic is currently navigating.
The hire comes at a pivotal time for Anthropic as it scales its international operations. The company recently opened a sixth European office in Milan, following previous expansions into Paris and Munich. To support this growth, Anthropic has announced plans to triple its international workforce while simultaneously preparing for an initial public offering.
Succession at Orange and industry trends
Orange is moving quickly to fill the vacancy left by Jarrett's departure. The telecommunications group named Usman Javaid as the new group chief AI officer, effective September 1. Javaid joins from Orange Business with a background that includes roles at Vodafone and AWS.
The recruitment of Jarrett reflects a broader trend in the AI industry where companies are seeking specific regional expertise:
- Importing buyer-side perspectives to better serve enterprise clients.
- Navigating complex international regulations regarding data and AI safety.
- Establishing distribution partnerships with major telecommunications carriers.
By poaching a lead from a major carrier, Anthropic is positioning itself to win over large-scale infrastructure partners who operate across the very geographies Jarrett is tasked to map. This move follows a series of high-profile hires from competitors including OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft throughout 2026. While some acquisitions focus on raw research power, this specific hire emphasizes market penetration and customer acquisition strategy.
Anthropic continues to prioritize regional adaptation as it seeks to establish Claude as a dominant global model for enterprise use cases. Jarrett's arrival in Paris marks a concrete step toward securing the company's foothold in the European tech ecosystem.