CodePath.org Innovation & Technology Culture

“When we first created CodePath, our dream was to repair the broken bridge between what CS students were learning in college, and what the tech industry needed,” said CodePath CEO and Co-Founder Michael Ellison. “Today we are beyond thrilled that CodePath - and all of our staff, students, supporters, and community - are being recognized by Fast Company as a leading innovator in the Education sector. In the next five years, CodePath plans to grow by another 10x to serve 100,000 students annually, so that we reach nearly 100% of the underserved student population and ensure best-in-class educational experiences are not just accessible, but become the default experience for all.”

CodePath is integrating Claude into its AI courses—including Foundations of AI Engineering, Applications of AI Engineering, and AI Open-Source Capstone—so students can learn to build with tools like Claude Code and contribute to real-world open-source projects.

In the fall of 2025, over 100 CodePath students piloted Claude Code to contribute to open-source projects like GitLab, Puter, and Dokploy. Students said they found the experience both valuable and challenging. “Claude Code was instrumental in my learning process, especially since I came into the project with very little experience in the programming languages used in the repository [including TypeScript and Node.js],” said Laney Hood, CodePath student and computer science major at Texas Tech University.

In January, Howard University announced a redesigned Intro to Artificial Intelligence course, developed in partnership with CodePath and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The course gives students experience with Claude-assisted software development, preparing them for the type of work that now defines entry-level engineering roles. It represents the first time CodePath’s applied AI curriculum is being offered for academic credit at a university.

“We now have the technology to teach in two years what used to take four,” said Michael Ellison, Co-founder and CEO of CodePath. “But speed for some and not others just widens inequality. Partnering with Anthropic means our students learn to build with Claude from day one, at institutions that have historically been overlooked. This results in better outcomes for our students and a fundamentally different answer to who gets to shape the AI economy.”

Beyond the classroom, Anthropic and CodePath will collaborate on public research exploring how AI is changing coding education and the dynamics of economic opportunity. We’ll share what we learn from students, educators, and industry leaders about what’s working—and what isn’t—as AI changes how people build technical skills and enter the workforce.