Anthropic’s legal tools strain its relationship with customer Spellbook
Spellbook’s chief executive says Anthropic’s move into legal applications prompted greater caution about sharing product plans and a shift in model spending toward OpenAI. Newly published Forbes interviews describe the tension facing startups whose model supplier also develops competing applications. Anthropic declined to comment, and the customers’ accounts do not establish a contractual breach.
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Spellbook changes what it shares with its supplier
Scott Stevenson says Spellbook became more cautious about sharing product roadmaps after Anthropic introduced Claude for Legal. The legal-software company’s cofounder and chief executive told Forbes that Anthropic staff had earlier assured him they did not expect to compete in its field. These newly published interviews underpin the account. Anthropic declined to comment. Stevenson also described redirecting a substantial part of model spending toward OpenAI.[1]
A long-term agreement preceded competing tools
Spellbook signed a long-term deal in 2025 to use Anthropic’s models for contract review. It subsequently handled roughly 500,000 reviews a month through Claude. The later legal product brought contract review and related capabilities into the supplier’s own application portfolio. Stevenson’s description concerns assurances he recalls receiving and his company’s response; it does not amount to a final legal finding that Anthropic failed to meet a contractual obligation.[1]
Other customers describe pressure over pricing
Other startup executives interviewed by Forbes raised concerns about prices and volume discounts. Some did not identify their companies; one said expense prompted a move to DeepSeek models. Figma, the design-software company, also appears in the investigation as a customer facing competition from Claude Design, introduced in April. The interviews describe individual business decisions and earlier product expansion, with customers balancing Claude’s capabilities against dependence on its developer.[1]
