Now you're worried? Come on. He is using the Bully Pulpit to try and pressure other companies to toeing the line. At least someone had the balls to tell them to get fucked instead of kowtowing.
He is also clearly in the throes of dementia, as his father was. It’s a common symptom of dementia patients to become rude and violent as their facilities slip away
If only we had a constitutional process for removing presidents from office as they become obviously unfit for the office…
I mean him being in the throes of dementia is certainly possible; but, more absolutely, he's a fucking asshole. The problem isn't just him, however; it's his entire administration, Congress, and the SCOTUS he stacked that further enable the insanity.
yes, but this is his administration; full stop neogestapo. Hes surrounded and politically floated by white Christian nationalists. His dementia just lubricates the existing harm vectors.
Anthropic is getting what it deserves. I feel pretty comfortable assuming you’ve never served, but the idea that you could be in a life and death situation (that is your life and your death) and your equipment fails because otherwise it would violate an AI code of conduct document some sanctimonious dweeb made up is completely unacceptable. It’s a very simple question about guaranteed reliability. Anthropic is, in fact, a supply chain risk and not fit for tasks of serious consequence. Furthermore, a quick survey of the disturbing racial calculus all of these models perform for the “trolley problem“ should be a sign that there are no AI providers fit to make any moral judgments on any subject whatsoever. I think we would all be much better off with a product that just works and then regulate users. If Sam Altman is your moral compass, then you are in trouble.
Also I wonder what's happening with democracy in the US, with this level of presidential control to mess up everything, is US moving towards dictatorship?
The US will survive this, despite being damaged, because Trump and his team are incompetent and he’s in a bubble and no one tells him what is actually going on. The GOP is going to get crushed in the midterms. From that standpoint, Anthropic may simply be playing the long game, and playing it well.
Really hope so. Only concern is what desperate measures the Trump admin will be willing to employ to stop the midterms from giving Democrats control of Congress (or at least the House).
> Also I wonder what's happening with democracy in the US, with this level of presidential control to mess up everything, is US moving towards dictatorship?
I mean maybe, but not because the president can decide to cancel a contract with a vendor. That seems to be a pretty reasonable power for the president to have.
Oh the US crossed that threshold the day he started he won the elections the second time.
Most Americans seem to think new elections will solve it. But for germans it was a world war that brought back democracy. There were no elections anymore. That is also the most likely case for the US now.
Idk who would even want them as a client. They'll change course on you every 4 years at minimum potentially in massive ways that might force you to change your product putting all your other users at risk - and they might just do that to you legislatively, anyway!
What to watch: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a memo to staff on Thursday night that the company will uphold the same red lines as Anthropic on surveillance and autonomous weapons, but still hopes to strike a deal with the Pentagon.
I wouldnt want an AI model to hold my military hostage. DOD should have strong requirements when making contracts with AI companies, including having the models be on their own infrastructure, fully locked down with a master prompt they can see and update.
I'm sure Alex Karp and Palantir are already charging into the breach, promising to deliver things they don't have the capability to deliver! (Otherwise known as just another day for them)
For anybody who thinks it's about Trump vs other administration: it's not, both AI surveillance of all people and using it for automatic fight was just bound to happen.
The only question is whether the safety of the models were really done well enough to protect the people and be a net positive force in the world.
I guess if they would be safely trained to do more good than bad (how Dario and SamA said), there wouldn't even be a need for the contract terms.
It would/will be extremely irresponsible to put non-deterministic and fallible models in charge of weapons. We are not close to having solved the problem of ensuring AI pursues good outcomes
I agree completely. Anybody who uses the models extensively know it can do something amazing for a prompt and something awful for another. But I also know that wars are unfortunately real and there are real enemies between countries and they don't want a limited model.
Probably drones targeting and automatically killing Russian people by a thinking model guessing if its Russian on Ukrainian person is a red line.
Elon Musk already denied Starlink for being used for remote killing, but at some point all these technologies will be nationalized, as they are too important not to be.
Something interesting is going on around Trump's rants. Some White House staffers are directing lower-level staff to ignore them and focus on the economy. James Blair [2] seems to be leading this. Blair was in charge of political strategy for Trump's campaign, and he won, so he's probably not going to be fired.
There have been presidents in decline who were semi-captured by their staffs. Biden, Reagan, and Roosevelt all were. It may be that Trump gets trotted out now and then to deliver his standard speech (his speeches all have roughly the same content, regardless of subject or venue), but the work of the White House involves him less.
Watch to see which threats get followed up with action, and which ones don't.
> "Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow," Trump added.
The Al Capone executive.
No surprise most CEOs are either licking his butt or staying silent, there's clearly a climate of fear.
> THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL NEVER ALLOW A RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY TO DICTATE HOW OUR GREAT MILITARY FIGHTS AND WINS WARS! That decision belongs to YOUR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, and the tremendous leaders I appoint to run our Military.
> The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY.
> Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels. Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow.
> WE will decide the fate of our Country — NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company run by people who have no idea what the real World is all about. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
It's just so great to have a president whose public statements sound like a 3-year-old having a tantrum. Every agency must immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology, except the agencies that are using Anthropic's products?
Anthropic's statement specified mass domestic surveillance. Not all domestic surveillance. And fully autonomous weapons with today's systems. Not automatic targeting. And not never.
But.. we already have automatic weapons targeting systems and the PATRIOT act, which enjoys bi-partisan support already providing basically limitless domestic surveillance.
Agreed, but the details released so far are pretty sparse on what exactly was being asked. If they're resisting general AI to help missiles find their target better, then I think it's pretty foolish of Anthropic to resist because that's happening come hell or high water. If it's about resisting mass surveileance without a warrant of American citizens, then I'd cheer Anthropic on for pulling out, but we just don't know apparently.
The Department of Defense demanded contracts which would allow any lawful use. Anthropic refused to allow mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons until fully autonomous weapons could be more reliable.[1]
(1603ET): An hour before a 5PM ET deadline, President Donald Trump directed 'EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology," posting on Truth Social that "We don't need it, we don't want it, and we will not do business with them again."
The messaging is not normal, the intent is absolutely abhorrent. With every passing week, the rhetoric coming from him gets more violent: I'm worried.
Now you're worried? Come on. He is using the Bully Pulpit to try and pressure other companies to toeing the line. At least someone had the balls to tell them to get fucked instead of kowtowing.
He is also clearly in the throes of dementia, as his father was. It’s a common symptom of dementia patients to become rude and violent as their facilities slip away
If only we had a constitutional process for removing presidents from office as they become obviously unfit for the office…
I mean him being in the throes of dementia is certainly possible; but, more absolutely, he's a fucking asshole. The problem isn't just him, however; it's his entire administration, Congress, and the SCOTUS he stacked that further enable the insanity.
yes, but this is his administration; full stop neogestapo. Hes surrounded and politically floated by white Christian nationalists. His dementia just lubricates the existing harm vectors.
He was rude and violent years ago. There is nothing new about those two. They made him win presidency twice.
He is more incoherent and demented.
Anthropic is getting what it deserves. I feel pretty comfortable assuming you’ve never served, but the idea that you could be in a life and death situation (that is your life and your death) and your equipment fails because otherwise it would violate an AI code of conduct document some sanctimonious dweeb made up is completely unacceptable. It’s a very simple question about guaranteed reliability. Anthropic is, in fact, a supply chain risk and not fit for tasks of serious consequence. Furthermore, a quick survey of the disturbing racial calculus all of these models perform for the “trolley problem“ should be a sign that there are no AI providers fit to make any moral judgments on any subject whatsoever. I think we would all be much better off with a product that just works and then regulate users. If Sam Altman is your moral compass, then you are in trouble.
This might actually make Anthropic very popular among those who do not support the current US presidency, a significant market share.
Take notes other AI companies. This is a totally fine line to draw and it's not even that high bar.
Dont allow systems to be built with your AI that automate mass surveillance or automate kill decisions.
I guess Sama is happy.
Also I wonder what's happening with democracy in the US, with this level of presidential control to mess up everything, is US moving towards dictatorship?
Are you seriously still asking this question ?
I'm starting to think this guy is kind of a jerk.
"The more I hear about this [Hitler] guy, the less I care for him" - Norm MacDonald
The puppet does what the puppeteer makes it do.
The US will survive this, despite being damaged, because Trump and his team are incompetent and he’s in a bubble and no one tells him what is actually going on. The GOP is going to get crushed in the midterms. From that standpoint, Anthropic may simply be playing the long game, and playing it well.
Really hope so. Only concern is what desperate measures the Trump admin will be willing to employ to stop the midterms from giving Democrats control of Congress (or at least the House).
> Also I wonder what's happening with democracy in the US, with this level of presidential control to mess up everything, is US moving towards dictatorship?
I mean maybe, but not because the president can decide to cancel a contract with a vendor. That seems to be a pretty reasonable power for the president to have.
You cant be serious. We are well past democracy and deep into fascism. Ask yourself, how many of the 14 points do you recognize?
https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html
Oh the US crossed that threshold the day he started he won the elections the second time. Most Americans seem to think new elections will solve it. But for germans it was a world war that brought back democracy. There were no elections anymore. That is also the most likely case for the US now.
You might be right, I am getting worried more and more for upcoming 2039-2045 years
Not saying that you are wrong. But even before Trump the US ticked like 10/14.
Probably war.
Would love nothing more than for sama to refuse government contracts in solidarity. Free enterprise isn’t free
The same Sam Altman that brought us Worldcoin + The Orb?
Idk who would even want them as a client. They'll change course on you every 4 years at minimum potentially in massive ways that might force you to change your product putting all your other users at risk - and they might just do that to you legislatively, anyway!
OpenAI courts Trump and their executives donate to MAGA foundations directly.
From Axios:
What to watch: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a memo to staff on Thursday night that the company will uphold the same red lines as Anthropic on surveillance and autonomous weapons, but still hopes to strike a deal with the Pentagon.
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/27/anthropic-pentagon-supply-c...
I wouldnt want an AI model to hold my military hostage. DOD should have strong requirements when making contracts with AI companies, including having the models be on their own infrastructure, fully locked down with a master prompt they can see and update.
Is this as real as the Ai generated medical ship that is steaming towards Greenland as we speak?
Related:
* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47185528
* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47185892
* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47186031
* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47185682
* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47185482
From the official @WhiteHouse twitter:
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2027497719678255148
https://xcancel.com/WhiteHouse/status/2027497719678255148
Please, Anthropic, make 30 second commercials about this dispute!
Not a hard sell, but just "These are the two demands the government gave us, and here's why we did not agree to them"
It makes the company so attractive to most of the public - not just those who dislike Trump, but also those don't trust government.
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/27/nx-s1-5729118/trump-anthropic...
That's a solid gold recommendation for Anthropic, far as I'm concerned.
So, after all is done and dust has settled, Anthropic will be the only big'ish tech company that not sold it soul to devil.
optimistic. This just means they'll demand a higher price.
Is this not a greater loss for the government than for Anthropic?
This is the happy ending.
No end here. The administration can still go above and beyond in an attempt to completely wreck Anthropic.
I'm worried about who will rush in to fill the vacuum.
I'm sure Alex Karp and Palantir are already charging into the breach, promising to deliver things they don't have the capability to deliver! (Otherwise known as just another day for them)
No, Trump added "I will use the full power of the presidency to make them comply".
For anybody who thinks it's about Trump vs other administration: it's not, both AI surveillance of all people and using it for automatic fight was just bound to happen.
The only question is whether the safety of the models were really done well enough to protect the people and be a net positive force in the world.
I guess if they would be safely trained to do more good than bad (how Dario and SamA said), there wouldn't even be a need for the contract terms.
It would/will be extremely irresponsible to put non-deterministic and fallible models in charge of weapons. We are not close to having solved the problem of ensuring AI pursues good outcomes
I agree completely. Anybody who uses the models extensively know it can do something amazing for a prompt and something awful for another. But I also know that wars are unfortunately real and there are real enemies between countries and they don't want a limited model.
How exactly does the "limitation" affect any war the US may be in with another country?
Probably drones targeting and automatically killing Russian people by a thinking model guessing if its Russian on Ukrainian person is a red line.
Elon Musk already denied Starlink for being used for remote killing, but at some point all these technologies will be nationalized, as they are too important not to be.
Something interesting is going on around Trump's rants. Some White House staffers are directing lower-level staff to ignore them and focus on the economy. James Blair [2] seems to be leading this. Blair was in charge of political strategy for Trump's campaign, and he won, so he's probably not going to be fired.
There have been presidents in decline who were semi-captured by their staffs. Biden, Reagan, and Roosevelt all were. It may be that Trump gets trotted out now and then to deliver his standard speech (his speeches all have roughly the same content, regardless of subject or venue), but the work of the White House involves him less.
Watch to see which threats get followed up with action, and which ones don't.
[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/02/trump-gop-repub...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blair_(political_advisor...
> "Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow," Trump added.
The Al Capone executive.
No surprise most CEOs are either licking his butt or staying silent, there's clearly a climate of fear.
So the government is phasing them out, or the company needs to get their act together?
Rarely see a company tell the government no though.
This is the Truth Social post, which the article quotes but doesn't quite convey the flavor of:
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/1161445529692...
> THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL NEVER ALLOW A RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY TO DICTATE HOW OUR GREAT MILITARY FIGHTS AND WINS WARS! That decision belongs to YOUR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, and the tremendous leaders I appoint to run our Military.
> The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY.
> Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels. Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow.
> WE will decide the fate of our Country — NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company run by people who have no idea what the real World is all about. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
I mentioned his insane threats to Netflix earlier and tried to Google an article that referenced it. None of them linked or even broadly quoted it.
There's been a concerted effort to hide the fact that the US President is posting insane shit every day for years.
The sanewashing of that nutbar from every media outlet in the States has been equally as breathtaking as the rants themselves.
You really think it’s him tapping away those Troots?
Coveffe
It's just so great to have a president whose public statements sound like a 3-year-old having a tantrum. Every agency must immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology, except the agencies that are using Anthropic's products?
Does anyone know (more precisely) what the military wanted to use Claude for and what Anthropic was resisting?
Their statement called out automatic weapons targeting and domestic surveillance as two lines they would not cross
Anthropic's statement specified mass domestic surveillance. Not all domestic surveillance. And fully autonomous weapons with today's systems. Not automatic targeting. And not never.
But.. we already have automatic weapons targeting systems and the PATRIOT act, which enjoys bi-partisan support already providing basically limitless domestic surveillance.
Doesn't mean Anthropic wants their tech making it even worse.
Agreed, but the details released so far are pretty sparse on what exactly was being asked. If they're resisting general AI to help missiles find their target better, then I think it's pretty foolish of Anthropic to resist because that's happening come hell or high water. If it's about resisting mass surveileance without a warrant of American citizens, then I'd cheer Anthropic on for pulling out, but we just don't know apparently.
The Department of Defense demanded contracts which would allow any lawful use. Anthropic refused to allow mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons until fully autonomous weapons could be more reliable.[1]
[1] https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war
They just know the circus will end fairly soon. No point in undermining its own future for this clown show
(1603ET): An hour before a 5PM ET deadline, President Donald Trump directed 'EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology," posting on Truth Social that "We don't need it, we don't want it, and we will not do business with them again."
[dupe] Earlier: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47185528