Why We Rolled Out Claude Max to All Our Engineers

Hello everyone, good morning and good evening! This is Tsuji, CTO of airCloset, Inc in Japan.

The recent evolution of AI code editors is truly remarkable, isn't it? From GitHub Copilot and Cursor to the newly introduced Claude Code (including the Max Plan), innovative tools are emerging one after another. I'm sure many of your companies are also considering adopting them.

This time, I would like to share the background behind airCloset's decision to introduce the Claude Max Plan for all our engineers and the reasons that led to this decision. I hope you'll read to the end.

The Reality of Productivity Gaps Caused by AI Code Editors

In fact, according to research data from GitHub Copilot, there's an astonishing result that using AI can increase coding speed by 55%. This isn't just a number. It means a task that used to take 2 hours and 41 minutes can now be completed in 1 hour and 11 minutes.

Within Microsoft, it's reported that "30% of code is written by AI," and the reality is that a significant productivity gap is emerging between those who use AI and those who don't.

Even more shockingly, Microsoft has conducted large-scale layoffs since the beginning of this year, with software engineers being the most targeted profession. This suggests that software engineers may no longer be able to survive unless they are on the side of leveraging AI.

The Necessity of AI Investment for Companies

It might sound obvious, but a company's competitiveness is directly linked to the productivity of its talent. According to a survey by IDC, the average ROI for every dollar invested in AI reaches $3.70.

What is the current situation for Japanese companies? Major IT companies like Mercari, LINE Yahoo, and CyberAgent are already promoting company-wide AI utilization. For example:

• Mercari: Internal use of ChatGPT grew by 230% in one year, aiming for 100% utilization by all engineers.

• LINE Yahoo: Reduced work time by 1-2 hours per person per day by introducing GitHub Copilot.

• CyberAgent: 60-70% of engineers use GitHub Copilot, with a perceived improvement of around 20%.

On the other hand, the overall generative AI utilization rate in Japan is only 9.1% (compared to 46.3% in the U.S. and 56.3% in China), which is a significant lag. This gap is likely to widen further in the future.

Preparing for a Future Transformed by AI

Looking at current market trends, corporate management is actively promoting AI investment. The situation is such that company boards are pressuring CEOs to replace IT workers with AI.

This should be seen not as a threat, but as an opportunity. While Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicts that "AI could replace 50% of white-collar jobs within 1-5 years," this also means that the value of engineers with AI utilization skills will rise sharply.

Conclusion: Why Now is the Time to Invest

Since its founding, airCloset has emphasized investment in technology. Our company-wide adoption of the Claude Max Plan is an extension of that philosophy.

Japanese companies are significantly behind the world in the adoption of generative AI. However, this also means there is still a chance to catch up. At airCloset, we do not want to miss this opportunity. By creating an environment where all engineers can utilize AI, we aim to maintain and enhance our global competitiveness.

The development of AI code editors in recent times is progressing at a tremendous pace, and the ability to use them effectively creates an enormous difference in productivity. Of course, the extent to which they can be utilized varies depending on the target system, but I believe a future without their use no longer exists. If that's the case, then as a company, we should absolutely invest in it at an early stage.

I encourage your company to consider investing in AI tools as well. The initial investment is not small, but as much data has already proven, you can expect a return that is far greater.

Thank you for reading to the end! We will continue to share our initiatives on AI utilization at airCloset, so please look forward to it.