On this illustration, the Claude AI app is seen within the app retailer on a telephone on February 16, 2026 in New York Metropolis. In line with reviews from the Wall Avenue Journal, the Protection Division used Anthropic’s Claude Ai, through its Palantir contract, to assist with the assault on Venezuela and seize former President Nicolás Maduro.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Photos
Anthropic’s Claude synthetic intelligence assistant app jumped to the No. 2 slot on Apple’s chart of prime U.S. free apps late on Friday, hours after the Trump administration sought to dam authorities businesses’ adoption of the startup’s expertise.
The rise in reputation means that Anthropic is benefiting from its presence in information headlines, stemming from its refusal to have its fashions used for mass home surveillance or for totally autonomous weapons.
“The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE making an attempt to STRONG-ARM the Division of Conflict, and drive them to obey their Phrases of Service as an alternative of our Structure,” President Donald Trump wrote in a Friday Fact Social put up.
Division of Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth stated he requested that Anthropic be labeled as a supply-chain threat to nationwide safety, and due to this fact, no U.S. protection contractor would be capable of draw on Anthropic instruments.
“It’s the Division’s prerogative to pick contractors most aligned with their imaginative and prescient,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stated in an announcement. “However given the substantial worth that Anthropic’s expertise offers to our armed forces, we hope they rethink.”
Traditionally, different AI chat apps have been extra common amongst customers than Claude. OpenAI’s ChatGPT sat at No. 1 on the App Retailer rankings on Saturday, whereas Google’s Gemini was at No. 3.
The Claude iOS app has gained momentum this month. On Jan. 30, it was ranked No. 131 within the U.S., and it bounced across the prime 20 for a lot of February, in response to knowledge from analytics firm Sensor Tower. The information reveals ChatGPT has held on to the No. 1 spot for many of February.
Up to now 12 months, Anthropic — which was fashioned in 2021 by former OpenAI workers — has gained momentum as a provider of fashions for coding and normal company use. OpenAI, whose ChatGPT now has over 900 million weekly customers, has been responding to Anthropic’s surge in enterprise by placing partnerships with consulting companies corresponding to Accenture and Capgemini.
On Friday evening, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated the startup had reached an settlement with the U.S. Protection Division on the deployment of its fashions.
Hours later, pop singer Katy Perry posted a screenshot of Anthropic’s Professional subscription for customers, with a coronary heart superimposed over it.
WATCH: Sec. Pete Hegseth directs Pentagon to designate Anthropic supply-chain threat
