HTML is the new Markdown: How Anthropic engineers are building with Claude Code | Thariq Shihipar

About this episode

Thariq Shihipar discusses the advantages of using HTML over Markdown in AI workflows.

Thariq Shihipar is an engineer at Anthropic working on the Claude Code team. He’s spent the past several months experimenting with HTML as a replacement for Markdown in planning and implementation workflows, discovering that richer visual formats lead to better human engagement—and, ultimately, better products. In this episode, filmed at Anthropic’s Code with Claude event in San Francisco, Thariq demonstrates how to use HTML artifacts to create interactive plans, build throwaway UIs for specific problems, and maintain living design systems that travel with your codebase. What you’ll learn: Why HTML has replaced Markdown as the ideal format for AI agent communication and planning How to brainstorm in HTML to get visual mockups and interactive demos instead of text lists The technique for building throwaway micro-UIs to edit specific parts of your plan How to create a living design system in HTML that lives in your repo and travels with every project Why “complexity has to earn its keep” and how HTML helps you stay in the loop without over-constraining Claude The prompting technique that gives Claude flexibility while ensuring that you get what you need Why 99% of your AI-generated…

People in this episode

Host: Claire Vo

Guest: Thariq Shihipar

Topics covered

• HTML
• Markdown
• AI agent communication
• interactive plans
• design systems
• user interfaces

Keywords

• HTML
• Markdown
• AI
• Claude Code
• interactive demos
• design systems
• micro-UIs
• planning

Sponsors

Celigo, Persona

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anthropic

Products: Claude Code

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