Anthropic's post-Pentagon resistance declines

Anthropic's viral phase is currently receding.

According to Business Insider,the interest in the AI startup has started to level off following a notable rise after Anthropic maintained its stance during a contract conflict with the Pentagon.

Data obtained from Appfigures, an app analytics company, reveals that ChatGPT outpaced Claude in projected daily downloads on the US Apple and Google Play stores recently, contrasting the short period when Anthropic led the rankings.

Anthropic's ascent occurred simultaneously as OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman and the AI powerhouse faced repercussions following what Altman termed as a "hurried" agreement with the Pentagon, shortly after the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pronounced Anthropic a potential national security threat.

Kara Lee, a brand and digital analyst at Sensor Tower, a market research firm, informed Business Insider that Claude's daily download rate "has mainly stabilised, with an average decrease of 2% DoD (day-over-day)" as of March 25. Meanwhile, downloads of ChatGPT have gone up by 1% each day.

The news isn't completely negative for Anthropic. The data reveals that interest in Claude remains significantly higher than it was roughly two months earlier.

In the beginning of February, Claude wasn't even ranked among the top 40 most downloaded free apps on Apple's US App Store. By Friday afternoon, Claude was positioned at No. 2, just behind ChatGPT.

The daily active user count of Claude has also been increasing, based on Similarweb data.

Lee mentioned that Anthropic experienced a 166% rise in daily downloads compared to February, as of March 25. ChatGPT saw a 4% decrease.

Although OpenAI's AI models are highly esteemed, it has long dominated the consumer space after launching the generative AI race with ChatGPT's release in November 2022.

In contrast, Anthropic has honed in on the enterprise sector, which Amodei previously identified as a more secure business strategy.

"I believe we have a superior business strategy. I think our profit margins are stronger," Amodei remarked during The New York Times' DealBook conference in December.

"We are approaching it responsibly. But if you consider a different business model, say in the consumer space, your revenue sources aren't as stable, your profit margins are uncertain."

As public fascination was on the rise, company executives at Anthropic raised serious concerns about their enterprise activities.

Legal documents revealed that the company projected losses of billions if the "national security" label persisted.

Anthropic filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon and the Trump administration to halt Hegseth's plan to formally declare Anthropic as a "supply chain threat."

Additionally, President Donald Trump commanded all federal entities to discontinue using Anthropic's services within a six-month timeframe.

Despite these tensions, Anthropic is attempting to collaborate with the government.

The Washington Post noted that Claude plays a role in aiding the US military's operations in Iran.