Anthropic Names Microsoft Veteran to Head India Office in Bengaluru

Anthropic, the US AI company behind the Claude models, has hired Irina Ghose as its India managing director. Ghose spent 24 years at Microsoft, including as managing director for India, before leaving in December 2025. She will lead the company's new office in Bengaluru, set to open in early 2026. The expansion comes as India grows into a major market for AI tools, with Claude seeing heavy use among developers and businesses there.

Background

India stands out as a fast-growing spot for AI companies. Bengaluru, often called India's Silicon Valley, draws firms with its pool of engineers and startups. Anthropic sees this as a chance to grow beyond the US. The company already has fans in India—Claude ranks as its second-biggest user base after the US. Most users there focus on technical work like coding and math problems, not casual chats.

Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, visited India in October 2025. He met top business leaders and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about the company's plans. India now makes up a big chunk of Claude's global activity. App downloads for the Claude app jumped 48% year-over-year in September 2025, hitting 767,000 installs. People in India also spent more on it, with spending up 572% to $195,000 that month.

This push fits a larger pattern. Rivals like OpenAI plan their own office in New Delhi. India lacks big homegrown AI model builders so far. Most local efforts focus on apps built on top of foreign models, not the heavy training of base systems. The government backs AI growth and hosts events like the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 to bring together leaders.

Anthropic first talked about the India move in its own announcement. It called Bengaluru its second Asia-Pacific office after Tokyo. The goal is to meet rising demand for Claude from Indian users and firms.

Key Details

Irina Ghose brings a strong track record from Microsoft. She joined in 2001 and rose through roles in sales, marketing, and operations. As managing director, she oversaw Microsoft's work with Indian businesses and government. Her connections there will help Anthropic build ties fast.

In a LinkedIn post, Ghose outlined her plans:

I will work with Indian enterprises, developers, and startups adopting Claude for mission-critical use cases. AI tailored to local languages can be a force multiplier across sectors including education and healthcare.

• Irina Ghose

Anthropic's Bengaluru office will target social good areas first. These include education, healthcare, and farming. The company wants partnerships with businesses, nonprofits, and startups. It lacks its own data centers in India, so it will use cloud services from partners like Microsoft.

Claude already handles major Indian languages. Soon, it will improve in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and Urdu. This aims to reach more people and government projects.

Hiring and Setup

The company posts jobs for sales roles focused on startups and big firms. It needs account executives and partner managers. Setting up costs money—rent, staff, and operations in Bengaluru. Anthropic bets on long-term gains from local roots. By mid-2026, it must hire enough engineers and salespeople to run pilots and deals.

Paul Smith, Anthropic's chief commercial officer, spoke on the timing:

Our expansion comes at a key moment when Indian enterprises and startups are seeking AI models they can trust. They need systems that combine frontier performance with the safety and reliability required to support critical business operations.

• Paul Smith

Dario Amodei added on India's appeal:

India is compelling because of the scale of its technical talent and the commitment from the Indian government to ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence reach all areas of society.

• Dario Amodei

The office opening lines up with CEO Amodei's visit for the AI Impact Summit in February 2026.

What This Means

India's AI market could top $130 billion by 2032. Big players like Microsoft pour in billions for cloud and servers. Anthropic takes a different path. It stresses safe, reliable AI over raw power. This appeals to firms wary of risks in high-stakes work.

Local presence helps with speed and trust. Cloud reliance means some delays compared to on-site setups, but partnerships fill the gap. Early deals in schools, hospitals, and farms could prove the model works.

For Anthropic, India offers talent to hire and users to grow revenue. Claude's technical bent matches India's developer strength. Success here could boost the company's global standing against OpenAI and others.

The hire of Ghose gives instant credibility. Her Microsoft days mean ready links to customers and officials. Anthropic eyes pilots that show real change, like better tools for doctors or farmers.

Competition heats up. With 80% of Indian firms seeing AI as key, trust matters. Anthropic aims to win by focusing on broad benefits, not just sales. Watch for first partnerships and hires—they signal if the office turns into a real growth driver.

Bengaluru's startup scene gets a boost too. Anthropic plans to support new companies building on Claude. This could spark more homegrown AI apps. Government ties might shape rules for safe AI use across India.