Dario Amodei calls OpenAI’s messaging around military deal ‘straight up lies’

Source: Hacker News

Background

Anthropic co‑founder and CEO Dario Amodei criticized OpenAI chief Sam Altman in an internal memo. Amodei described OpenAI’s dealings with the Department of Defense (DoD) as “safety theater” and called the company’s messaging “straight up lies.”

“The main reason [OpenAI] accepted [the DoD’s deal] and we did not is that they cared about placating employees, and we actually cared about preventing abuses,” Amodei wrote.

The DoD Negotiations

• Anthropic’s stance:

  • Anthropic already had a $200 million contract with the military.
  • The company demanded that the DoD affirm it would not use Anthropic’s AI for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry.
  • Anthropic rejected the DoD’s request for “unrestricted access” to its technology.

• OpenAI’s deal:

  • The DoD struck a separate agreement with OpenAI.
  • Altman announced that the contract would include protections against the same red lines Anthropic had asserted.
  • OpenAI’s blog post states the contract allows use of its AI systems for “all lawful purposes,” but clarifies that “mass domestic surveillance” is not covered under lawful use.

“It was clear in our interaction that the DoW considers mass domestic surveillance illegal and was not planning to use it for this purpose,” the blog post read. “We ensured that the fact that it is not covered under lawful use was made explicit in our contract.”

Anthropic’s Response

Amodei’s memo to staff labeled Altman’s public statements as false, accusing him of presenting himself as a “peacemaker and dealmaker.” He emphasized that Anthropic’s concerns were not merely bitter but grounded in principle, especially regarding the DoD’s insistence on “any lawful use” of AI.

“I think this attempted spin/gaslighting is not working very well on the general public or the media, where people mostly see OpenAI’s deal with the DoW as sketchy or suspicious, and see us as the heroes (we’re #2 in the App Store now!),” Amodei wrote.

Public Reaction

• ChatGPT uninstalls: After OpenAI’s DoD deal was announced, uninstalls of ChatGPT surged by 295 %.
• Critics’ concerns: Observers note that legal definitions can change, meaning what is illegal today might become permissible in the future.

References

• The Information: Anthropic CEO’s memo attacking OpenAI’s mendacious Pentagon announcement – https://www.theinformation.com/articles/read-anthropic-ceos-memo-attacking-openais-mendacious-pentagon-announcement
• TechCrunch (Feb 26, 2026): Anthropic CEO stands firm as Pentagon deadline looms – https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/anthropic-ceo-stands-firm-as-pentagon-deadline-looms/
• TechCrunch (Feb 28, 2026): OpenAI’s Sam Altman announces Pentagon deal with technical safeguards – https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/28/openais-sam-altman-announces-pentagon-deal-with-technical-safeguards/
• X (Twitter) post by Sam Altman – https://x.com/sama/status/2027578580159631610
• Anthropic statement on the Department of War – https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war
• OpenAI blog: Our agreement with the Department of War – https://openai.com/index/our-agreement-with-the-department-of-war/
• TechCrunch (Mar 2, 2026): ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295 % after DoD deal – https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/02/chatgpt-uninstalls-surged-by-295-after-dod-deal/