ICYMI · Slate Podcasts

Anthropic Isn't Woke

March 7, 2026·36 min·3 clips

Anthropic drew a line against the Pentagon on autonomous kill bots and spying on Americans—but is it really about ethics?

This episode of ICYMI, hosted by Kate Lindsay with guest Tony Ho-Tran, examines the recent public perception of the AI company Anthropic as a "woke" entity. The conversation centers on how a contract dispute between Anthropic and the U.S. government sparked a bizarre online culture war. Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, reportedly refused a Pentagon request for broader "lawful use" language in a contract, citing concerns over mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. CEO Dario Amodei argued current AI systems are not reliable enough for autonomous weapons without significant human oversight. Former President Donald Trump responded on Truth Social, calling Anthropic a "radical left woke company" and ordering the government to stop using it. OpenAI quickly positioned itself as a government-friendly alternative, stepping into the potential contract vacuum. This dispute triggered a backlash from some ChatGPT users, with an estimated 1.5 million declaring intentions to leave the platform. Celebrity Katy Perry posted a screenshot of herself purchasing a Claude Pro subscription for $214.99 with a heart around it. Claude briefly dethroned ChatGPT as the number one app in Apple's App Store, with the Dick's Sporting Goods app curiously ranking third. The hosts contrast this moment with Anthropic's past, including a settled $1.5 billion lawsuit where authors alleged the company used pirated books to train its AI. They note Anthropic has actively cultivated a "safety-first" and ethically-minded brand through marketing and Super Bowl ads. A key insight is that Anthropic's refusal is framed as a technological limitation—AI isn't ready yet—rather than an absolute moral stance. The episode compares cheering for Anthropic to the "hire more women guards" meme, where a liberal solution fails to address a fundamentally problematic premise. Tony Ho-Tran argues that Anthropic is "building the Death Star," not joining the rebellion, as it still profits from systems threatening livelihoods and the environment. The tone is conversational, analytical, and skeptical, blending internet culture commentary with political and tech industry analysis. Listeners interested in the intersection of tech PR, government contracts, and online backlash will find this episode engaging. Those seeking a purely technical discussion of AI or who are fatigued by discourse about "woke" branding might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A sharp look at Anthropic's government ties and the red lines it drew around surveillance and autonomous weapons.

ICYMI keeps the focus on Anthropic's ties to government work and the line it tried to draw in the Pentagon dispute. The show points out that the company already had a roughly $200 million contract with the Pentagon, so the argument is not coming from an outsider.

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Why you'd press play

Anthropic, a Pentagon contract, and where its stated red lines meet actual refusal.

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