AI coding platform Anthropic has appointed Guillaume Princen, renowned for his role in establishing Stripe’s European operations, as the new head of EMEA. This strategic move aligns with Anthropic’s ambitious plan to expand its workforce by 100 as it ventures further into the European market.
Princen, who became Stripe’s first employee outside the U.S. in 2014, played a pivotal role in the company’s growth across Europe, successfully launching 12 offices and driving its expansion throughout the continent. Most recently, he served as the CEO of Mooncard, a leading European expense management platform.
His recruitment coincides with Anthropic’s recent $3.5 billion funding round, which has propelled the company’s post-money valuation to $61.5 billion, particularly for its ChatGPT alternative, Claude. Princen remarked, “Our expansion across Europe and the UK comes at a critical moment when businesses need advanced AI capabilities that emphasize security and privacy. European organizations are increasingly gravitating towards Claude for its intelligence, speed, and superior coding abilities, while consumers are attracted by its unique conversational flair and thoughtful design. To address this promising demand, we’re adding over 100 new positions this year to support our expanding European customer base while ensuring our commitment to responsible AI development meets the region’s standards.”
In the coming year, Anthropic plans to fill various roles in sales, engineering, research, and business operations, primarily within its Dublin and London offices. Currently, the company employs around 50 staff in London, including Cyprien de Masson d’Autume, a former engineer at SocGen and researcher at Google DeepMind, who joined earlier this year.
This announcement builds on Anthropic’s efforts to grow its presence in Europe, which included the establishment of a research-focused office in Zurich earlier this year under the leadership of AI scientist Neil Houlsby.
Daniela Amodei, president and co-founder of Anthropic, stated, “EMEA has been integral to our vision from the start. Since launching Claude in Europe last year, we’ve witnessed significant organic growth among businesses and consumers, underlining the region’s strategic value to Anthropic’s future. We had always intended to increase our investment here, and acquiring the right leadership in Guillaume was essential to fulfill our thoughtful expansion plans.”