Anthropic CEO stands firm as Pentagon deadline looms

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Thursday that he “cannot in good conscience accede to [the Pentagon’s] request” to give the military unrestricted access to its AI systems. “Anthropic understands that the Department of War, not private companies, makes military decisions,” Amodei wrote in a statement. “However, in a narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values. Some uses are also simply outside the bounds of what today’s technology can safely and reliably do.” The two cases are: mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weapons with no human in the loop. The Pentagon believes it should be able to use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes, and that its uses shouldn’t be dictated by a private company. Amodei’s statement comes less than 24 hours ahead of the Friday 5:01 p.m. deadline Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given Anthropic to either acquiesce to his demands, or face the consequences. The Department of Defense has attempted to force Amodei’s hand by either labeling Anthropic a supply chain risk — a designation reserved for foreign adversaries — or invoke the Defense Production Act and effectively force the firm to do its bidding. The DPA gives the president the authority to force companies to prioritize or expand production for national defense. Amodei pointed out the contradiction in those two threats. “One labels us a security risk; the other labels Claude as essential to national security.” He added that it’s the Department’s right to choose contractors most aligned with its vision, “but given the substantial value that Anthropic’s technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider.” Anthropic is currently the only frontier AI lab that has classified-ready systems for the military, though the DOD is reportedly getting xAI ready for the job. Techcrunch event Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately.Offer ends March 13. Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediatelyOffer ends March 13. Boston, MA | June 9, 2026 REGISTER NOW “Our strong preference is to continue to serve the Department and our warfighters—with our two requested safeguards in place,” Amodei said. “Should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions.” TLDR, he’s saying: “We can just part ways. There’s no need to be nasty about it.” Topics AI, Anthropic, dario amodei, dod, Government & Policy, pentagon, pete hegseth Rebecca Bellan Senior Reporter Rebecca Bellan is a senior reporter at TechCrunch where she covers the business, policy, and emerging trends shaping artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and other publications. You can contact or verify outreach from Rebecca by emailing rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at rebeccabellan.491 on Signal.

View Bio October 13-15 San Francisco, CA Save up to $680 on your pass before February 27.Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders, dive into 200+ sessions, and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings. REGISTER NOW Most Popular It’s time to pull the plug on plug-in hybrids Tim De Chant Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras Zack Whittaker Bill Gurley says that right now, the worst thing you can do for your career is play it safe Connie Loizos The 9,000-pound monster I don’t want to give back Connie Loizos Sam Altman would like to remind you that humans use a lot of energy, too Anthony Ha Google VP warns that two types of AI startups may not survive Rebecca Bellan Great news for xAI: Grok is now pretty good at answering questions about Baldur’s Gate Russell Brandom