Anthropic’s Claude Code chief says low ego is key in hiring

Anthropic executive Boris Cherny said the AI company looks for candidates who can work across disciplines, accept being wrong and follow evidence over pride. His comments offer a rare look at hiring preferences at a company Fortune described as one of the most sought-after employers in artificial intelligence.

Cherny, who leads Claude Code, spoke at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference. Fortune reported that Anthropic recently went public at a $965 billion valuation and that its Claude assistant has helped make the company a major player in the AI market.

What Anthropic wants in applicants

Cherny said Anthropic’s first preference is for generalists, according to Fortune. He said the company likes people who bring experience across more than one function, including combinations such as engineering and design, engineering and product, or data science and design.

The second trait, Cherny said, is a low ego. He told the conference that ego can obstruct work and said employees should feel safe offering ideas that may later prove wrong.

“Ego just gets in the way of stuff,” Cherny said, according to Fortune. “You want to be okay and safe shipping an idea that might turn out to be bad. It’s not your fault, it’s okay to be wrong.”

Cherny’s third preference is for empiricists, which he described as people who learn from data and stay tied to reality. He said that when a customer disproves a strong idea, the right response is to accept the feedback, discard the idea if needed and try another approach.

Other executives also screen for ego

Fortune placed Cherny’s comments within a wider pattern among executives who say collaboration matters as much as individual credentials. Ben Goodwin, CEO and cofounder of Olipop, told CNBC in 2025 that his company cannot hire people whose personal egos outweigh the team’s mission.

Claire Isnard, a former chief people officer and chief operating officer at Chanel, told Fortune last year that she first looks at values and cultural fit. She said Chanel seeks candidates who meet its standards for excellence, integrity and collaboration, and that people with big egos, solo working habits or short-term motives would not fit.

Some leaders also listen closely to how candidates describe past work. Wisp CEO Monica Cepak told CNBC that when applicants discuss the hardest problem they have solved, candidates who fail to use “we” show they may struggle in her company’s work setting.

Twilio CEO Khozema Shipchandler has raised a similar concern, according to Fortune. He said frequent use of “I” in interviews can signal weak collaboration or leadership skills.

Shipchandler told Fortune in 2025 that leadership is harder when a person is not in charge. He said he tests whether candidates can use data, passion, charisma and persuasion to get others to act.

For job seekers, Cherny’s comments point to a hiring bar that extends beyond technical skill. At Anthropic, according to Cherny’s remarks reported by Fortune, the strongest candidates show range, humility and a willingness to change their minds when the evidence does.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.