Microsoft favors Anthropic over OpenAI for Visual Studio Code | The VergeSkip to main contentHamburger Navigation ButtonHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandReviewsExpandScienceExpandEntertainmentExpandCarsExpandVideosExpandPodcastsExpandNewslettersExpandSubscribeMicrosoft favors Anthropic over OpenAI for Visual Studio CodeComments0Comments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...ReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All ReportAICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All AITechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All TechMicrosoft favors Anthropic over OpenAI for Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code now has a new auto AI model selector that favors Claude 4 over GPT-5.Visual Studio Code now has a new auto AI model selector that favors Claude 4 over GPT-5.by Tom WarrenCloseTom WarrenSenior EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All by Tom WarrenSep 16, 2025, 10:08 AM UTCLinkFacebookThreadsComments0CommentsImage: The VergeTom WarrenCloseTom WarrenPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All by Tom Warren is a senior editor and author of , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.Microsoft is adding automatic AI model selection to its Visual Studio Code editor that will automatically pick the best model for “optimal performance.” This new will select between Claude Sonnet 4, GPT-5, GPT-5 mini and other models for GitHub Copilot free users, but paid users will “primarily rely on Claude Sonnet 4.”It’s a tacit admission from Microsoft that the software maker is favoring Anthropic’s AI models over OpenAI’s latest GPT-5 models for coding and development. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s developer plans tell me that the company has been instructing its own developers to use Claude Sonnet 4 in recent months.“Based on internal benchmarks, Claude Sonnet 4 is our recommended model for GitHub Copilot,” said Julia Liuson, head of Microsoft’s developer division, in an internal email in June. While that guidance was issued ahead of the GPT-5 release, I understand Microsoft’s model guidance hasn’t changed.Microsoft is also its own AI models. “We’re also going to be making significant investments in our own cluster. So today, MAI-1-preview was only trained on 15,000 H100s, a tiny cluster in the grand scheme of things,” said Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman, in an employee-only town hall last week.Microsoft is also reportedly planning to use Anthropic’s AI models for some features in its Microsoft 365 apps soon. reports that the Microsoft 365 Copilot will be “partly powered by Anthropic models,” after Microsoft found that some of these models outperformed OpenAI in Excel and PowerPoint.OpenAI and Microsoft last week that could clear the way for the AI startup’s initial public offering. Microsoft has invested more than $13 billion in OpenAI , and has a in place. Microsoft now allows OpenAI to lean on rival cloud providers, and is expected to reveal further details about the “next phase” of its OpenAI relationship soon.0 CommentsFollow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Tom WarrenCloseTom WarrenSenior EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All by Tom WarrenAICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All AIAnthropicCloseAnthropicPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All AnthropicMicrosoftCloseMicrosoftPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All MicrosoftOpenAICloseOpenAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All OpenAIReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All ReportTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.PlusFollowSee All TechMost PopularMost PopularThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our and . 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All Rights Reserved, Microsoft is signaling a shift in its AI priorities, favoring Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4 over OpenAI's GPT-5 models in its flagship developer tool, Visual Studio Code. The, Microsoft favors Anthropic over OpenAI for Visual Studio Code Visual Studio Code now has a new auto AI model selector that favors Claude 4 over GPT-5..