OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell may be on the “same page” about the Pentagon’s decision to cancel Anthropic’s deal. Dell recently said that companies that work with governments cannot dictate how their technology is used. His statement came as a response to the ongoing dispute between AI startup Anthropic and the United States Department of War over procurement restrictions. The comments also echo views previously expressed by Altman, who suggested that Anthropic’s demands for tighter contractual restrictions may have complicated its engagement with the Pentagon. Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg Television this week, Dell said businesses providing technology to governments must accept that sovereign authorities decide how such tools are deployed. He said, “I don’t think a company can dictate to a sovereign government what it does with its tools. I just don’t think that’s workable model.”Dell’s remarks come days after Anthropic filed a lawsuit seeking to block a Pentagon decision that labelled the AI company a supply-chain risk and barred it from federal procurement following disagreements over safeguards the firm wanted in its defence contract.He addressed the issue while speaking at a forum in Washington focused on federal government contracting, adding that his company has systems and controls to ensure it sells technology only to authorised users, though he did not provide further details.
What Sam Altman said about Anthropic failing to sign Pentagon deal
Days after OpenAI signed a deal with the Pentagon, during an Ask Me Anything session on X, Altman responded to a question about why the Department of War chose OpenAI over Anthropic.He wrote, “I think Anthropic may have wanted more operational control than we did,” adding that Anthropic appeared “more focused on specific prohibitions in the contract, rather than citing applicable laws.”Altman noted that Anthropic and the Pentagon were reportedly very close to reaching an agreement before negotiations collapsed under pressure. “I have seen what happens in tense negotiations when things get stressed and deteriorate super fast, and I could believe that was a large part of what happened here,” he noted.Anthropic’s breakdown with the Pentagon has had serious consequences. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared Anthropic a “supply chain risk to national security,” effectively blacklisting the company from military contracts. President Trump went further, ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s products and calling the company “radical left” on Truth Social.Meanwhile, Anthropic has sued the Trump administration to block the Pentagon from placing it on a national security blacklist. The company said that this move has already cost the company government contracts and puts hundreds of millions of dollars of its future business at risk.
