“Who makes Claude?” and “Which country and company is Claude from?” are questions we hear all the time. The short answer: Claude is built by Anthropic, a U.S. AI company. It is not a Google product, not from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, and not a Korean service. Below is a quick tour of the company, its relationship to ChatGPT, and why Claude speaks Korean so well.
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Fable 5 and 5.1 subscription (updated September 7, 2026): Claude Fable 5.1, released September 1, 2026, is the current Fable model and Fable 5 is now legacy. Plan terms are the same for both — Max and Team Premium plans include Fable at up to 50% of the weekly usage limit; Pro and Team Standard use usage credits (
At a glance
- Maker: Anthropic — a U.S. AI company known for putting AI safety research front and center
- Headquarters: San Francisco, USA
- Founded: 2021, by former OpenAI members
- Leadership: CEO Dario Amodei (former VP of Research at OpenAI) and President Daniela Amodei, who are siblings
- Corporate form: PBC (Public Benefit Corporation) — a U.S. corporate form whose charter includes a public-benefit purpose alongside profit
- Main products: the Claude app (web, mobile, desktop), the Claude API for developers, and the coding agent Claude Code
Is it the same company as ChatGPT?
No. ChatGPT is made by OpenAI, while Claude is made by Anthropic — separate, competing companies. The confusion is understandable: Anthropic’s founders came from OpenAI. CEO Dario Amodei led research at OpenAI before leaving with colleagues in 2021 to start Anthropic, which has made safety-first AI development its identity ever since.
Is it Korean? Why is its Korean so good?
Anthropic is an American company. Claude’s Korean feels natural because it is a multilingual model trained across many languages, not a single-language product. Meanwhile, Anthropic officially opened a Seoul office in June 2026 — its third Asia-Pacific hub after Tokyo and Bengaluru — led by Ki-young Choi, a veteran of Google Cloud and Microsoft Korea. A local office, though, does not change the company’s nationality.
Where does the name “Claude” come from?
A popular guess is Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, but Anthropic has never officially confirmed the origin of the name. The accurate way to put it is: “not officially confirmed.”
Can I use Claude for free?
Yes. Sign up at claude.ai and you can start on the free plan, then upgrade to a paid plan if you need more usage. Our pricing guide covers the differences between plans in detail.
In short: Claude is made by Anthropic in the U.S., a different company from ChatGPT’s maker — and since 2026, its Seoul office has been deepening the company’s ties with Korea.
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