On Lenny's podcast, she described how people now feel compelled to "check Twitter every single day to see what the absolute latest thing is," just to avoid missing out. What once felt like a steady stream of innovation has turned into what some users describe as an "ever increasingly fast treadmill" of AI releases.

Wu noted that in the past, major software features might arrive monthly or even quarterly, making it simple to check in occasionally and stay current. Now, AI labs, Big Tech firms and start-ups are shipping overlapping products and features at high speed, pushing users to constantly reassess which tools matter.

That rapid cadence is visible at Anthropic itself. A tech blog tracking the company's launches estimated that Anthropic shipped more than 45 new features in just the first three months of the year. Wu admitted that with AI moving so quickly "we do sometimes have features that overlap with each other," underscoring how the rush to experiment can blur product lines.

At the same time, users recently complained that Claude Code's output had deteriorated, prompting worries that speed was coming at the expense of reliability. Anthropic said it had not deliberately downgraded performance and instead pointed to three technical issues that affected Claude Code, Claude Agent SDK and Claude Cowork between early March and late April, before reversing changes and restoring higher default settings.

Despite the pressures, Wu argues that AI FOMO does not have to be the norm. She says she wants people to feel they can simply open AI tools and be guided, with the software teaching them what they need to know rather than demanding constant vigilance. For Anthropic and its rivals, the challenge now is to keep innovating while designing calmer, more considerate experiences that help users feel supported, not left behind.