Anthropic product chief leaves Figma board after rival tool report

In short: Anthropic’s chief product officer, Mike Krieger, resigned from Figma’s board after a report said Anthropic may launch design tools that could compete with Figma.

What happened

Mike Krieger, the chief product officer at AI company Anthropic, stepped down from the board of Figma on April 14. Figma disclosed the change in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The same day, The Information reported that Anthropic’s next AI model, called Opus 4.7, will include design tools. Design tools are software that helps people create the look and layout of apps and websites, like arranging buttons, text, and menus on a screen. That is also Figma’s main business.

Figma is widely used by user experience designers, the people who plan how an app or website should look and feel. Figma has also worked closely with Anthropic to add Anthropic’s AI features into Figma products, like having an assistant inside the tool.

Krieger joined Anthropic in 2024. He is also known as a co-founder of Instagram and the AI news app Artifact. He had been on Figma’s board for less than a year.

Why it matters

This move highlights a growing worry among investors that big AI labs could start offering the same kinds of software tools that many separate companies sell today. Think of it like a major car maker starting to sell its own tires and batteries too, which could squeeze the smaller suppliers. For everyday users, it could change which design tools companies choose, and how much they cost.

Source: TechCrunch AI