OpenAI CEO Sam Altman subtlety tells Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei: Get your facts right on how powerful government ...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has now asked the Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to get his facts right. According to a report by CNBC, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stressed that the government must remain more powerful than private companies. He also warned that it would be ‘bad for society’ if companies abandon their commitment to the democratic process simply because they disagree with the present leadership.

The comments made by Altman come amid the increasing tensions with rival company Anthropic. Recently, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei criticised Altman’s relationship with the Trump administration. He also said that Anthropic had not offered “dictator-style praise” while Altman had. The dispute between the two companies is followed by weeks of friction between Anthropic and the Department of Defense over restriction on the use of AI.

Government’s action against Anthropic

Recently, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Anthropic a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security”, and President Trump ordered federal agencies to immediately stop using its technology. Hours after this, Anthropic rival OpenAI announced its own deal with the Pentagon, a move Altman admitted looked “opportunistic and sloppy,” but said was intended to de-escalate tensions.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei criticised OpenAI’s contract with Pentagon

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has now sharply criticised OpenAI’s recent contract with the US Department of Defense (DoD). Amodei descried the deal as a ‘safety threat’. According to a report by The Information, in a memo to its employees, Amodei mentioned that the main reason OpenAI accepted Pentagon’s terms while Anthropic did not was because, “they cared about placating employees, and we actually cared about preventing abuses.”

For those unaware, last week Anthropic failed to reach on an agreement with the DoD over its request for unrestricted access to the company’s AI technology. However, Anthropic already holds $200 million military contract, it insisted on safeguards preventing use of its AI for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry. The Pentagon declined, later striking a deal with OpenAI instead.

The rivalry highlights the high-stakes competition in AI. OpenAI recently announced a $110 billion funding round at a $730 billion valuation, with ChatGPT surpassing 900 million weekly active users. Anthropic, meanwhile, has crossed $19 billion in annual revenue run rate, underscoring the fierce battle for dominance in the rapidly expanding AI sector.