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Anthropic clashes with Trump's White House, rejects Washington playbook

Fortune AI3h ago6 min read
Anthropic clashes with Trump's White House, rejects Washington playbook

Key takeaway

Anthropic, the AI startup valued at $965 billion(約150兆円), has deliberately refused to follow the playbook of flattery and alignment that other tech CEOs have used to stay in the Trump administration's favor. After the company declined to accept Pentagon contract language and a jailbreak was discovered in its Fable model, the administration imposed export controls and Trump administration officials have publicly attacked CEO Dario Amodei and the company as ideologically opposed to the administration. This defiance, combined with an expected IPO in the coming months, may complicate Anthropic's efforts to raise public market capital and expand its business.

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3 Key Points

  • What happened

    The Trump administration has twice taken actions against Anthropic—labeling it a "supply chain risk" in April after the company refused Pentagon contract language, and imposing export controls on its Mythos and Fable AI models two weeks ago following discovery of a jailbreak. OpenAI, by contrast, announced it was withholding release of GPT-5.6 at the U.S. government's request on the same day those controls were relaxed.

  • Why it matters

    Anthropic, valued at $965 billion(約150兆円) and preparing for an IPO expected in the coming months, has refused the flattery, donations, and appointment of Trump allies that other tech giants (Meta, Amazon, Apple) and OpenAI have used to stay in the administration's favor. Trump administration officials have publicly attacked CEO Dario Amodei as a "liar" with a "God-complex" and an "ideological lunatic," and accused the company of "regulatory capture." Continued hostility could make it harder to sell public market investors on the stock listing and significantly hamper the company's ability to develop advanced AI models.

  • What to watch

    Anthropic CEO Amodei reportedly called Trump "a feudal warlord" in a now-deleted Facebook post, and his sister and cofounder Daniela Amodei donated to Kamala Harris's campaign. Unlike OpenAI's policy chief Chris Lehane and cofounder Greg Brockman (the largest donor to Trump Super PAC MAGA Inc.), Anthropic has made no similar hires of Trump-aligned figures to its leadership.

FAQ

What actions has the Trump administration taken against Anthropic?
In April, the Pentagon labeled Anthropic a "supply chain risk" after the company refused to accept contract language the Pentagon was insisting upon. Two weeks ago, the administration imposed export controls on Anthropic's Mythos AI model and Fable, a version built for wider commercial release, following the discovery of a Fable jailbreak that could allow users to circumvent guardrails designed to prevent access to Mythos' full cyber capabilities.
How does Anthropic's approach to the Trump administration differ from other tech companies?
Unlike Meta, Amazon, Apple, and OpenAI, which have appointed Trump allies to key roles, made donations to Trump's inauguration or causes, and hired executives with deep ties to Trump's circle, Anthropic has not made similar hires or gestures. CEO Dario Amodei had called Trump "a feudal warlord" in a now-deleted Facebook post urging friends to vote for Kamala Harris.
What are the potential consequences for Anthropic?
Continued hostility between the Trump administration and Anthropic could make it harder to sell public market investors on the company's stock listing, which is expected in the coming months. At worst, it could significantly hobble the company's ability to continue to develop advanced AI models and undo the widespread enterprise adoption Anthropic's existing AI models have enjoyed.

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