Anthropic's Claude app jumped to No. 2 on Apple's free apps chart following Trump administration criticism
Pentagon labeled Anthropic as a national security risk after the company refused to allow its AI for surveillance or weapons
OpenAI's ChatGPT remains the top free app while Google's Gemini is third in the rankings
Anthropic has shown significant growth in app downloads and business partnerships despite government pushback
📖 Full Retelling
Anthropic's Claude artificial intelligence assistant app surged to the No. 2 position on Apple's U.S. free apps chart late on Friday, following the Trump administration's attempt to block government agencies from adopting the startup's technology after the company refused to allow its models to be used for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. The rise in popularity suggests that Anthropic is benefiting from its presence in news headlines stemming from its principled stance. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to criticize the company, stating 'The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution.' Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded by requesting that Anthropic be labeled as a supply-chain risk to national security, which would prevent U.S. defense contractors from using Anthropic's tools. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei countered that 'the substantial value that Anthropic's technology provides to our armed forces' should lead to a reconsideration of this decision.
Despite the Pentagon's move, OpenAI's ChatGPT maintained its position as the top free app in the U.S., while Google's Gemini held the No. 3 spot. The Claude iOS app has shown remarkable growth this month, jumping from No. 131 on January 30 to consistently ranking in the top 20-50 throughout February, according to Sensor Tower data. This surge comes as Anthropic, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, has gained significant traction as a supplier of AI models for coding and corporate applications. In response to Anthropic's growing business, OpenAI has formed partnerships with major consulting firms including Accenture and Capgemini. Interestingly, while OpenAI secured its own agreement with the U.S. Defense Department on Friday night, pop star Katy Perry's public endorsement of Anthropic's Pro subscription service may have further boosted the app's visibility and downloads.
🏷️ Themes
AI competition, Government regulation, Public-private sector relations, Technology ethics
The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps and desktop apps on its iOS, macOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or i...
# Anthropic PBC
**Anthropic PBC** is an American artificial intelligence (AI) safety and research company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Established as a public-benefit corporation, the organization focuses on the development of frontier artificial intelligence systems with a primary e...
A virtual assistant (VA) is a software agent that can perform a range of tasks or services for a user based on user input, such as commands or questions, including verbal ones. Such technologies often incorporate chatbot capabilities to streamline task execution. The interaction may be via text, gra...
In geometry, a pentagon (from Greek πέντε (pente) 'five' and γωνία (gonia) 'angle') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°.
A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting.
Anthropic's Claude artificial intelligence assistant app jumped to the No. 2 slot on Apple's chart of top U.S. free apps late on Friday, hours after the Trump administration sought to block government agencies' adoption of the startup's technology. The rise in popularity suggests that Anthropic is benefiting from its presence in news headlines, stemming from its refusal to have its models used for mass domestic surveillance or for fully autonomous weapons. "The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution," President Donald Trump wrote in a Friday Truth Social post. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he asked that Anthropic be labeled as a supply-chain risk to national security , and therefore, no U.S. defense contractor would be able to draw on Anthropic tools. "It is the Department's prerogative to select contractors most aligned with their vision," Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a statement . "But given the substantial value that Anthropic's technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider." Historically, other AI chat apps have been more popular among consumers than Claude. OpenAI's ChatGPT sat at No. 1 on the App Store rankings on Saturday, while Google's Gemini was at No. 3. The Claude iOS app has gained momentum this month. On Jan. 30, it was ranked No. 131 in the U.S., and it bounced between the top 20 and the top 50 for much of February, according to data from analytics company Sensor Tower. The data shows ChatGPT has held on to the No. 1 spot for most of February. In the past year, Anthropic — which was formed in 2021 by former OpenAI employees — has gained momentum as a supplier of models for coding and general corporate use. OpenAI, whose ChatGPT now has over 900 million weekly users, has been responding to Anthropic's surge in business by striking partnerships with consulting firms such...
