Claude Code explained. What it is, who it's for, and how we use it at Maybe*.

AllExpert Advice

Apr 13

By Polly Barnfield, OBE, CEO of Maybe*

There are a lot of AI coding tools making noise right now. Claude Code is one of the most talked about. If you're a business owner or decision maker who keeps hearing the name but isn't quite sure what it means for you or your team, this post is for you.

We'll explain what Claude Code actually is, how it compares to the other tools in the space, and why at Maybe* we use it ourselves as part of how we build and ship.

First, a bit of context

Most AI tools that non-technical people encounter are conversational. You ask, they answer. Claude Code is different. It's an AI agent that operates inside a developer's terminal, reads and writes code across an entire codebase, runs tests, fixes errors, and works through multi-step technical tasks with a degree of autonomy that older tools simply didn't have.

It's not a chatbot for developers. It's closer to a capable technical collaborator that can be pointed at a problem and trusted to make meaningful progress on it.

That distinction matters if you're a business owner thinking about how your technical team spends its time.

The tools and what they're actually for

GitHub Copilot The autocomplete standard-bearer

What it does well

Suggests code completions as developers type, inline and in real time
Speeds up repetitive and boilerplate coding tasks significantly
Integrates cleanly into the editors most developers already use
Understands the immediate context of what a developer is writing

What it doesn't do

Works line by line and function by function, not across a whole codebase
Doesn't plan, reason through, or execute multi-step technical tasks
Doesn't run your code, fix what breaks, or iterate toward a solution
A developer still drives every decision; Copilot assists, it doesn't act

The honest summary Copilot is the spell-checker equivalent for code. It makes developers faster at writing. It doesn't make decisions, take initiative, or complete tasks independently. It's a productivity layer, not an execution layer.

Cursor The AI-native code editor

What it does well

Built from the ground up around AI assistance, not bolted on afterward
Allows developers to edit, generate, and discuss code inside one environment
Understands broader context across files, not just the line being written
Popular with developers who want a tighter AI integration than Copilot offers

What it doesn't do

Still primarily a writing and editing environment, not an autonomous agent
Doesn't execute tasks independently or work through problems end to end
A developer remains in control of every step; Cursor assists with each one
Powerful for developers who know what they want to build, less so for open-ended problem solving

The honest summary Cursor is a genuinely excellent environment for developers who want AI deeply integrated into how they write code. It's a better place to write code. It's not a tool that completes work on its own.

Claude Code An autonomous coding agent

What it does well

Works across an entire codebase, not just the file or line in front of it
Plans and executes multi-step technical tasks with meaningful autonomy
Reads code, writes code, runs tests, interprets errors, and iterates
Handles complex, open-ended briefs that would take a developer significant time
Reduces the gap between "tell someone what needs doing" and "it's done"

What it doesn't do

Still requires a technically capable person to brief, review, and deploy
Not designed for non-technical business users to operate directly
Doesn't connect to your business tools, CRM, or operational workflows
The output is code and technical work, not finished business outcomes
Best suited to development tasks, not broader business execution

The honest summary Claude Code is a meaningful step change in what an AI can do inside a technical environment. For development teams, it shifts the question from "how do we write this?" to "what do we want to build?" That's a significant gain. For business owners, the benefit is felt through your technical team, not directly.

How they compare

  
    Capability
    GitHub Copilot
    Cursor
    Claude Code
  
    Inline code suggestions
    Yes
    Yes
    Yes
  
    Works across whole codebase
    No
    Partial
    Yes
  
    Executes multi-step tasks autonomously
    No
    No
    Yes
  
    Runs tests and iterates on errors
    No
    No
    Yes
  
    Requires developer to drive every step
    Yes
    Yes
    Less so
  
    Built for non-technical users
    No
    No
    No
  
    Connects to business tools or workflows
    No
    No
    No

How we use these tools at Maybe*

We'll be straight with you. At Maybe*, our engineering team uses Claude Code and Cursor. Both of them. They are genuinely excellent tools and they make our developers faster, sharper, and more capable.

Claude Code handles complex, multi-step technical work. Cursor is where a lot of the day-to-day writing and editing happens. Together, they represent the best of what's currently available for a technical team that wants to move quickly and build well.

We mention this because we think it matters. We're not positioning Maybe* against these tools out of competitive instinct. We use them. We rate them. The point we want to make is a different one.

Claude Code and Cursor are tools for building software. Maybe* is what you build software with them to deliver. They operate in the technical layer. Maybe* operates in the business layer.

A developer using Claude Code can build faster. A business using Maybe* gets work completed, tracked, and delivered inside the tools their team already runs on. These are not competing ideas. They're different layers of the same stack.

What this means for you as a business owner

If your technical team isn't using tools like Claude Code and Cursor, it's worth asking why. The productivity gains are real, and the barrier to adoption is low.

But the more important question for most business owners isn't what your developers are using. It's whether the AI your organisation runs on is actually completing work, or just helping people do work faster.

Faster developers ship better software. That matters. But the admin that falls through the cracks, the follow-ups that don't happen, the actions that don't get assigned, those aren't problems Claude Code solves. That's the gap Maybe* is built to close.

The short version

Claude Code is one of the best tools available for technical teams who want AI that acts rather than just suggests. We use it ourselves and we'd recommend it to any development team that hasn't tried it yet.

If your question is how to get more out of your developers, Claude Code is part of the answer.

If your question is how to get business work to complete itself consistently, across your CRM, your inbox, your project tools, without it landing back on someone's desk, that's a different question. And that's what Maybe* is for.