EP053: DeepClaude — 17x Cheaper Agent Loops by Splitting Thinking from Coding

A new open-source project called DeepClaude is turning heads by splitting the AI coding agent loop into two models: DeepSeek V4 Pro for reasoning and planning, Claude for code generation and tool use. The result? 17x cheaper than running Claude end-to-end, with comparable output quality. We break down how model-splitting architectures work, why this validates the multi-model routing thesis, the tradeoffs developers should know about, and how to implement similar patterns with any gateway today.