Opus 4.8 Becomes Default, Plus Anthropic Hits $965B

Claude Opus 4.8 is now the default model with high effort enabled and a faster, cheaper fast mode. Dynamic workflows can orchestrate hundreds of background agents. And Anthropic closed a funding round that vaulted its valuation past OpenAI. In this episode: (00:00) Introduction (00:45) Claude Code Updates (02:29) Under the Hood (03:32) In the News Further reading: Introducing Claude Opus 4.8 (Anthropic News) Introducing dynamic workflows in Claude Code (Claude Blog) Using LLMs to secure source code (Claude Blog) Anthropic Rockets to $965 Billion Valuation, Topping OpenAI in AI Showdown (Wall Street Journal) Anthropic Unveils Claude Opus 4.8, a New, More Powerful Model (New York Times) Apollo Shops $36 Billion Debt Deal to Buy Google Chips for Anthropic (Bloomberg) Anthropic Plans Wide Release of Mythos-Level AI Models in Weeks (Bloomberg) Claude Notes Brief is a weekly podcast covering Claude Code updates and Anthropic news. Subscribe at claudenotes.co.