Anthropic Brings on Former Microsoft India MD for Bengaluru Office Expansion
Anthropic has appointed ex-Microsoft India MD Irina Ghose to boost growth in Bengaluru as the AI race heats up in India.
Ghose is seasoned with 24 years at Microsoft. She stepped down in December 2025. Her experience will help Anthropic build important links with local companies and the government. India is one of the fastest-growing AI markets, so this move is smart for their growth.
India is now a key market for Anthropic. It has the second-largest user base for Claude, mainly used for tasks like software development. OpenAI, a rival, is also moving into India with new plans. This shows how India is becoming a hot spot for AI companies.
With over a billion internet users and 700 million smartphones, India has huge potential for AI growth. However, making money in this market can be tough. Companies like OpenAI have tried lower prices to attract users.
For Anthropic, the Claude app saw a 48% rise in downloads in India last September, reaching 767,000. Consumer spending on the app jumped significantly, although it’s still less than in the U.S.
Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei visited India in October. He met with leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to talk about expansion plans. They also looked at working with Reliance Industries to increase access to Claude, but a deal was made with Google instead.
In her LinkedIn post, Ghose shared that she will focus on helping Indian businesses use Claude for important projects. She believes that AI can be useful in fields like education and healthcare, especially when designed for local languages.
The growth of Anthropic and other companies comes as India’s own AI industry is just beginning. The country has skilled software workers, but not enough startups are making large AI models. Investors favor application-driven companies instead of those requiring big investments for foundations.
This new role for Ghose comes just before India’s AI Impact Summit in February 2026. The government wants to show support for local AI growth. The summit will gather AI startups and experts to discuss future AI use in India.
Anthropic is also looking to expand its team in India. They are hiring for positions like account executives and sales managers. This push aims to help them reach more Indian businesses and startups.