Tech Workers Protest 'Risk' Label on Anthropic
A coalition of tech workers is urging the Pentagon and Congress to reverse a "supply-chain risk" designation placed on AI company Anthropic. They argue the label stifles competition and innovation by favoring a handful of major AI players for government contracts.
The "supply-chain risk" designation was applied by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on February 27, 2026, following a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump ordering all federal agencies to cease using Anthropic's technology. This action is seen as an unprecedented move against a domestic technology company, as this label is typically reserved for foreign adversaries like China's Huawei or Russia's Kaspersky Labs. The dispute stems from a breakdown in contract negotiations over the military's use of Anthropic's AI model, Claude. Anthropic refused to agree to terms that would permit "any lawful use," insisting on two specific prohibitions: the use of its AI for mass domestic surveillance of American citizens and for lethal autonomous weapons systems that can make targeting and firing decisions without direct human control. In response to the standoff, Defense Secretary Hegseth declared that no contractor, supplier, or partner doing business with the U.S. military could conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic. This has significant implications, as Anthropic's cloud infrastructure is provided by Amazon and Google, both major Pentagon contractors. Anthropic has stated its intention to challenge the designation in court. A coalition of tech workers, including hundreds of employees from major firms like Google, OpenAI, Amazon, and Microsoft, has mobilized in support of Anthropic. In open letters, they have urged their own employers to refuse government contracts that lack ethical guardrails and have expressed solidarity with Anthropic's stance against unrestricted military use of AI. The day after the designation, rival AI company OpenAI announced its own deal to deploy its models for the Pentagon in classified environments. OpenAI stated that its contract includes "more guardrails than any previous agreement for classified AI deployments," including prohibitions on mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, mirroring the red lines drawn by Anthropic.
