Anthropic is back in “last-ditch” talks with the Pentagon to resolve a bitter dispute over AI safeguards — days after CEO Dario Amodei claimed the clash stemmed partly from its refusal to give “dictator-style praise” to President Trump, according to reports.
Amodei has been holding discussions with Emil Michael, the War Department’s undersecretary for research and engineering as part of a “last-ditch effort” to reach a contract governing the military’s use of the company’s AI models, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
Talks have reportedly resumed just days after Amodei circulated a 1,600-word memo to staff that accused rival OpenAI of concocting “just straight up lies” about its disputes with the Pentagon over surveillance and autonomous weapons.
The Anthropic boss also told employees in the Friday memo he believes the administration’s animus stems from the fact that he declined to “donate to Trump,” tech news site The Information reported earlier.
“The real reasons DoW and the Trump admin do not like us is that we haven’t donated to Trump (while OpenAI/Greg have donated a lot)…” Amodei wrote, referencing Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and co-founder.
A deal would allow the Pentagon to continue using Anthropic’s technology and could help the company avoid being formally designated a “supply chain risk,” a step threatened by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would force firms in the military supply chain to cut ties with the startup.
Hegseth has yet to make the designation.
Amodei, who donated to failed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, blasted what he described as dishonest messaging from OpenAI and the Pentagon, writing in the memo: “I want to be very clear on the messaging that is coming from OpenAI, and the mendacious nature of it.”
He added that “a lot of OpenAI and DoW messaging just straight up lies about these issues or tries to confuse them,” and insisted that “it is false that ‘OpenAI’s terms were offered to us and we rejected them.’”
The memo was sent just as OpenAI announced it would provide AI services to the Pentagon following the breakdown of negotiations between Anthropic and the Trump administration.
Altman pushed back at Anthropic’s criticisms during remarks Thursday, arguing that AI companies should ultimately defer to elected leaders rather than dictate policy to governments.
“The government is supposed to be more powerful than private companies,” Altman said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.
Altman also suggested it would be “bad for society” if companies abandoned their commitment to the democratic process simply because they disagreed with the people in power.
While defending OpenAI’s deal with the Pentagon, Altman acknowledged that the timing — coming hours after rival Anthropic was blacklisted — may have appeared awkward, saying the move “looked opportunistic and sloppy.”
The administration ordered all federal agencies to halt use of Anthropic’s services — prompting defense contractor Lockheed Martin to follow suit.
Amodei, who has been urged by investors to make peace with the Trump administration, also took aim at OpenAI’s approach to military safeguards, claiming the company’s Pentagon deal relies on protections that are “maybe 20% real and 80% safety theater.”
He argued the Pentagon rejected stronger safeguards proposed by Anthropic while accepting weaker ones from OpenAI.
The Anthropic boss also accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of trying to undercut his company while striking his own Pentagon deal, writing that Altman was “presenting himself as someone who wants to ‘set the same contract for everyone in the industry’” while “behind the scenes” working with the Department of War to replace Anthropic “the instant we are designated a supply chain risk.”
The talks follow a heated breakdown in negotiations between Amodei and Pentagon officials over language Anthropic wanted included in the contract to block the use of its AI for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is scrambling to add language in its contract with the Pentagon that would imposed additional safeguards designed to prevent the use of its technology to spy on American citizens, according to the FT.
The ChatGPT maker has already revised contract language to prohibit “intentional,” “deliberate” or “targeted” surveillance of US citizens and is working to add further protections during a three-month implementation period, according to people familiar with the talks.
The effort comes after rival Anthropic refused to accept similar contract terms over concerns about domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, prompting the Pentagon to pursue an agreement with OpenAI instead, the FT reported.
The Post has sought comment from the White House, OpenAI, Anthropic and the Department of War.
