Claude Code dominates tool usage, leaders are more positive about AI than engineers, staff+ engineers are the biggest users of AI agents, and more. Exclusive data and analysis from 900+ respondents
Claude Code's Meteoric Rise
Just eight months after its release, Claude Code has become the most-used AI coding tool among software engineers, overtaking both GitHub Copilot and Cursor. This rapid adoption represents one of the fastest technology transitions we've seen in the AI tooling space.
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Mainstream AI Adoption Achieved
The data shows AI is now fully mainstream in software engineering. A staggering 95% of survey respondents use AI tools at least weekly, with 75% using AI for at least half their software engineering work. Among The Pragmatic Engineer readers, the question is no longer whether to use AI, but which tools to use.
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Multi-Tool Workflows Are the Norm
Most engineers juggle multiple AI tools simultaneously. 70% of survey participants use between two and four tools, while 15% use five or more. This suggests engineers are building sophisticated workflows that combine different tools' strengths.
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Anthropic Dominates Model Usage
Anthropic's Opus and Sonnet models dominate coding tasks by a wide margin, with more mentions than all other models combined. This represents a significant shift in the AI ecosystem, with Anthropic becoming the go-to model developer for coding-related work.
AI Agent Usage Surges
Agent usage has exploded, with 55% of respondents now regularly using AI agents. Staff+ engineers lead adoption at 63.5%, compared to 49.7% for regular engineers and 46.1% for engineering managers. This suggests more experienced engineers are more willing to experiment with advanced AI capabilities.
Company Size Influences Tool Choice
Company size strongly correlates with tool choice. Smaller companies overwhelmingly favor Claude Code (75% at the tiniest businesses), while large enterprises default to GitHub Copilot (56% at companies with 10K+ employees). This appears driven by enterprise procurement preferences and Microsoft's enterprise marketing efforts.
Tools Engineers Love
Claude Code is the most loved tool at 46%, far ahead of Cursor at 19% and GitHub Copilot at 9%. Interestingly, directors and senior leaders are especially enthusiastic about Claude Code, with twice as many mentions compared to less senior levels.
Key Demographics
- 55% of respondents are engineers, with another 34% in engineering leadership
- Median experience: 11-15 years
- Geographic distribution: Mostly Europe and US
- Company sizes: Fairly even split across the spectrum
The survey data reveals a rapidly evolving AI tooling landscape where Claude Code has achieved dominance in record time, AI agents are becoming mainstream, and tool choice is increasingly influenced by organizational factors rather than individual preference. The correlation between agent usage and positive sentiment about AI suggests that hands-on experience with advanced AI capabilities drives enthusiasm for the technology.
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