Some Anthropic investors are growing frustrated with CEO Dario Amodei’s combative stance toward the Trump administration — even as as defense contractor Lockheed Martin said it will comply with the government’s ban on the AI startup, according to reports.
Investors have privately complained that Amodei has antagonized Pentagon officials rather than working to smooth relations as the dispute escalated.
Those backers have urged Anthropic to find a way to contain the fallout — even as they continue to support the company’s broader stance — because they fear Amodei’s posture could worsen tensions and deepen the risk of wider business blowback tied to the Pentagon fight, Reuters reported.
“It’s an ego and diplomacy problem,” one person briefed on the discussions told the outlet.
4 Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, is reportedly taking heat from investors over his handling of contacts with the Trump administration. REUTERS
Earlier this week, The Post reported that oddball blog posts written by Anthropic researcher and in-house “philosopher” Amanda Askell had resurfaced after President Trump blasted the AI startup as “woke” and “radical left” while announcing a ban on the company serving federal agencies.
The posts — including one comparing eating meat to “ritual cannibalism” and another criticizing incarceration — fueled concerns among some officials in Washington about the political leanings and ideological influences shaping the company behind the Claude chatbot.
The clash centers on Anthropic’s refusal to drop safeguards that prevent its Claude AI from being used for autonomous weapons or mass US surveillance.
The tensions are already rippling through the defense industry.
Lockheed Martin said it would comply with the government’s directive to phase out Anthropic’s technology, and other defense contractors are expected to follow suit if the startup is formally designated a “supply-chain risk.”
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