Kicked Out by Trump, US Advanced Weapons Supplier Reaps Huge Profits Instead

The conflict between AI company Anthropic and the US Department of Defense (DoD) has unexpectedly boosted the popularity of the company’s application.

For context, Anthropic was previously a supplier of AI tools for US military needs. However, the company was ousted by the Donald Trump administration after refusing to allow its AI tools to be used for creating autonomous weapons and spying on US citizens.

Amid this issue, Anthropic’s AI service, Claude, has seen a significant surge in paid subscribers. Credit card transaction analysis data for around 28 million US citizens shows that the number of Claude’s paid subscribers jumped to the highest level since early 2026, as quoted from TechCrunch on Monday (30/3/2026).

This surge occurred alongside increased spotlight on Anthropic’s firm stance in defying the Trump administration. Tensions peaked when the DoD labelled Anthropic as a “supply chain risk”. Anthropic views the government’s action as impacting its business.

However, the government’s decision was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, while the legal lawsuit continues.

Amid this drama, Claude’s popularity has skyrocketed. US consumers are flocking to subscribe to the paid service, particularly the “Pro” package priced at US$20 per month. Even long-time users returned in large numbers in February.

In addition to the conflict factor, aggressive marketing strategies have also been a driver. Anthropic released a Super Bowl advertisement that mocked its competitor, OpenAI, regarding ChatGPT’s advertising policies. The campaign successfully captured public attention and increased awareness of the Claude product.

Not only that, the launch of new features such as Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and the “Computer Use” capability that allows AI to operate computers independently, has further strengthened the appeal of this service among professional users.

Nevertheless, market dominance is still held by ChatGPT. OpenAI continues to record strong growth in paid subscribers, despite facing negative sentiment due to its collaboration with the DoD.