OpenAI’s Altman takes jabs at Anthropic, says government should be more powerful than companies

CNBC ^ | 03/05/2026 | Ashley Capoot

[BenLurkin]

“The government is supposed to be more powerful than private companies,” Altman said during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei criticized Altman’s relationship with the Trump administration in a memo to employees on Friday, according to a report from The Information. Amodei reportedly wrote that Anthropic has not given “dictator-style praise to Trump,” while Altman has.

The Department of Defense has clashed with Anthropic in recent weeks over how the agency can use its artificial intelligence models. Negotiations escalated, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Anthropic a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security” in a post on X on Friday.

President Donald Trump also directed every federal agency in the U.S. to “immediately cease” all use of Anthropic’s technology.

Hours later, Altman announced that OpenAI had formed its own agreement with the DOD. The company has faced criticism for announcing the deal so soon after Anthropic was blacklisted, and Altman conceded that it looked “looked opportunistic and sloppy.”

[Skwor]

Nothing wrong with a business moving fast to take advantage of another company’s stupidity.

[Frank Drebin]

The people should be more powerful than either. Let’s hear them say that...and mean it.

[SecondAmendment]

> Nothing wrong with a business moving fast to take advantage of another company’s stupidity.

But everything is wrong with what Altman is quoted as saying, it's antithetical to our founding and what Trump campaigned on.

I am sorry but living under a tyrannical government is unacceptable no matter who is running it.

Trump needs to find an off ramp from all of this AI chicanery, IMHO Altman is a psychopath and OpenAI is FTX 2.0.

[The Louiswu]

I don’t want anyone using AI. AI is going to hurt a lot of people and destroy a lot of jobs.

[Skwor]

I suggest you try reframing how you see AI.

Let me help, no one in their right mind would let a company who makes nuclear weapons have more control of those weapons than the elected representatives of the government.

AI is viewed by many as having the same destructive potential as nuclear weapons, why would you want a private company in charge of that as opposed to elected representatives of the people?

I am happy to argue whether the risk is actually that great, but given that is how it is presented I do believe the government must have the final say in the matter.

[proust]

The government has always been more powerful. And as we were just reminded, it can seize a company anytime it wants.

Nothing new, happened with the telegraph, multiple countires nationalized radio, commerial rail lines were requisitioned during wars, and so on

[bunkerhill7]

Musk

[bigbob]

I hope Elon is training Grok to do what DoW needs.

[goodnesswins]

“elected representatives” are not keeping up. THAT is a problem.

[SecondAmendment]

> I suggest you try reframing how you see AI ...

I am looking at the broader view, these AI hucksters are leading us down a path that will do orders of magnitude more damage to our economy and financial system than our external enemies could ever dream of.

Listen to this guy's take, who unlike the AI bros, has a Phd in computer science and decades of experience working on AI: https://youtu.be/aI7XknJJC5Q?si=FNzzLQt4V5hLjt0P

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[Skwor]

I actually agree with you on AI being more of a scam, just not sure to what level and actual threat. Now if it has the p;otnetial to wreck the economy to that extent it is literally an existential threat like I compared in my post about nuclear weapons.

I actually think the government is the worst but in truth given the choice between a private company and the government being the final arbitrator of AI use, “technically” we should want the government to be the decision maker, in theory at least it answers to the people.

I know that is pie in the sky thinking but honestly, I have no solution. Pandora’s box has been opened; all we have left is to open it again and hope there was some good left to let out.