The whole thing was a scam
Source: Hacker News
Overview
Probably you already saw how it all turned out. On the very same day that Sam Altman offered public support to Dario Amodei, he signed a deal that effectively took away Amodei’s business—a deal that wasn’t all that different. You can’t get more Altman than that.
Key point: According to The New York Times, Altman had been secretly working on the deal since Wednesday—well before he announced his support for Amodei, and before former President Trump denounced Anthropic, yet after Greg Brockman had donated $25 M to Trump’s PAC.
It was all theatre. Dario never had a chance.
Government Action
It’s one thing for the government to reject Anthropic’s terms, but entirely another to banish the company permanently, labeling it a supply‑chain risk—while favoring another entity that offered similar terms and had made larger campaign contributions.
Anthropic deserves a chance on exactly the same terms; anything else reeks of corruption.
Concerns About Anthropic
I am not a fan of Amodei. I think he often overhypes things, many of which I have publicly challenged. The company ripped off a lot of writers’ work (per the $1.5 B settlement) and recently walked back its core safety pledge.
Nevertheless, I believe in fair play. This situation does not reflect that principle.
Market vs. Oligarchy
- In capitalism, the market decides.
- In oligarchy, connections and donations decide.
It certainly looks like the United States is transitioning from the former to the latter.