OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took subtle swipes at rival Anthropic on Thursday and said he thinks it’s “bad for society” if companies start abandoning their commitment to the democratic process because “some people don’t like the person or people currently in charge.”
“The government is supposed to be more powerful than private companies,” Altman said during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.
Anthropic has clashed with the Department of Defense in recent weeks over how the agency can use its artificial intelligence models. Negotiations escalated, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Anthropic a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security” in a post on X on Friday.
President Donald Trump also directed every federal agency in the U.S. to “immediately cease” all use of Anthropic’s technology.
Hours later, Altman announced that OpenAI had formed its own agreement with the DoD. The company has faced criticism for announcing the deal so soon after Anthropic was blacklisted, and Altman conceded that it looked “looked opportunistic and sloppy.”
