Goldman Sachs pulls Claude Code and GitHub AI tools from most staff
Goldman Sachs has cut off most of its employees from advanced AI coding tools like Anthropic's Claude Code and Microsoft's GitHub. Only engineers can still use them, according to Bloomberg, which cites internal guidelines from October. The Decoder, which relays the report, says traders and bankers had spent months using the tools to monitor trading flows and create content. The rollback is reportedly causing frustration inside the firm.
The change cuts against what the bank's technology chief said earlier. Back in July, Goldman CIO Marco Argenti praised "vibe coding" by non-technical staff in an interview. He described a workflow in which a trader or someone in asset management has an idea, builds a quick prototype with AI, and then hands it to an engineer to scale for production. The Decoder's verdict: that is no longer the plan, it seems.
As for the reason, Bloomberg's report cites only a "variety of factors including productivity and risk management," according to Goldman spokesperson Nick Carcaterra. He added that the experimentation phase is over, and that the firm is now limiting the tools to the people "who are best suited to leverage them for the long term."
The account is secondhand: The Decoder summarises Bloomberg, which in turn relies on internal guidelines and a spokesperson's statement.
Key facts
- Goldman Sachs has cut most employees off from advanced AI coding tools like Anthropic's Claude Code and Microsoft's GitHub; only engineers keep access, per Bloomberg.
- Bloomberg cites internal guidelines from October; traders and bankers had used the tools for months to monitor trading flows and create content.
- In July, CIO Marco Argenti had praised "vibe coding" by non-technical staff, with engineers scaling prototypes for production.
- Spokesperson Nick Carcaterra cited a "variety of factors including productivity and risk management" and said the experimentation phase is over.
- The rollback is reportedly causing frustration inside the firm.
Why it matters
A large bank has, by this account, moved from encouraging non-technical staff to build with AI to confining the tools to engineers. The turn is sharp because CIO Marco Argenti praised vibe coding by non-technical staff in a July interview, describing traders or asset managers prototyping with AI and handing the result to engineers. According to The Decoder, that is no longer the plan. Goldman's own framing is that the experimentation phase is over.
Who it affects
Most Goldman Sachs employees lose access, including the traders and bankers who had used the tools for months to monitor trading flows and create content. Engineers keep access. The number of affected employees, or Goldman's total headcount, is not given. The rollback is reportedly causing frustration inside the firm.
How to use it
There is nothing to adopt here; this is a restriction, not a product. Inside Goldman, the tools are now for engineers, whom the spokesperson describes as the people best suited to leverage them for the long term. It is not stated which tools besides Claude Code and GitHub are affected.
How solid is it
The report comes from Bloomberg, citing internal guidelines from October, and The Decoder passes it on. Goldman spokesperson Nick Carcaterra is quoted on the reasoning, so the company has in effect confirmed the direction of the change. No specific year is given for the July interview or the October guidelines. No details of the reported frustration, and no employee names or reactions, are given.
Risks and caveats
The reasons are thin. Only "productivity and risk management" is cited, and the specific risks (security, compliance, data leakage, etc.) are not named. The source does not say whether the restriction is permanent or temporary. The source says "Microsoft's GitHub" and does not name GitHub Copilot, so avoid reading a specific product into it.
“variety of factors including productivity and risk management”
— Nick Carcaterra, Goldman spokesperson, as cited by Bloomberg