Figma's AI strategy: let Anthropic build the models while margins bleed
figma adds code layers and motion agents to its canvas but relies on external models like anthropic's. this squeezes margins as competition with its own ai providers intensifies.
figma expanded its design canvas to support code layers, motion timelines, and webgpu-based shaders at its annual conference, aiming to retain human control over ai-generated outputs. the company relies on external models from providers like anthropic to power these features, a strategy that increases costs as these same providers develop competing interface generators. while 95% of fortune 500 companies use figma, the rising cost of inference is pressuring margins, forcing the company to focus on token efficiency rather than training its own foundational models.