**_ Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin backs Anthropic as the Pentagon threatens Claude access over autonomous weapons and mass surveillance limits. _ **
The Pentagon wants Claude. No guardrails. No exceptions. And Anthropic has until Friday to decide.
The Department of Defense handed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei a hard deadline, according to The Guardian. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Anthropic executives on Tuesday. The message was clear. Comply or face consequences.
Axios first reported that the DoD threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act. It also floated labeling Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company refuses unfettered Claude access by the end of the week.
Must Read: Vitalik Unveils Ethereum’s New DeFi Vision: Permissionless, Private, Secure
Vitalik Enters the Fight Nobody Expected
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stepped into the dispute publicly. He posted his position on X, directly tagging Dario Amodei. Buterin said it would “significantly increase” his opinion of Anthropic if the company holds its ground and “honorably eats the consequences.”
His post called Anthropic’s current position “very conservative and limited.” The company has drawn two hard lines. No fully autonomous weapons. No mass surveillance of Americans. Buterin said those restrictions are not even anti-military by nature.
As Vitalik Buterin wrote on X, his view is that fully autonomous weapons and mass privacy violations are things “we all want less of.” He added that in an ideal world, anyone working on those programs would access the same open-weights models as everyone else, and nothing more. He acknowledged the world will never reach that ideal but said even getting 10% closer would be meaningful.
The Contract at Stake Is Not Small
The DoD struck deals with Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI back in July last year. Those contracts ran up to $200 million each. Until this week, Claude was the only AI model cleared for use in classified military systems. That changed on Monday. The Pentagon signed a new deal allowing Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot into classified systems.
Both xAI and OpenAI reportedly agreed to the government’s terms. A defense official said OpenAI allowed its model for “all lawful purposes.” OpenAI did not immediately comment.
The Pentagon’s chief technology officer, Emil Michael, has publicly pushed Anthropic to act. As Michael told Defense Scoop, those guardrails “ought to be tuned” for government use cases, as long as they stay lawful. He called it “crossing the Rubicon.”
A Broader Line Is Being Drawn Here
This dispute lands inside a longer political tension. Anthropic backed a PAC pushing for stronger AI safety rules. Amodei opposed Trump during the 2024 campaign. The company hired former Biden staffers. A pro-Trump VC firm pulled out of an Anthropic investment earlier this year over exactly those ties, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The DoD has poured billions into AI-enabled military tech. Unmanned drones. Automated targeting. The Ukraine conflict showed where this leads. Semiautonomous drones already operate without human control on real battlefields. These debates stopped being theoretical.
Firefly Social also surfaced, reporting citing Axios on the Defense Production Act threat. The ultimatum is real.
Also worth checking: OpenClaw Bans All Crypto Talk in Its Discord
Friday is the deadline. Anthropic has not publicly backed down. Buterin’s post on X still stands.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
The Strait of Hormuz is set to be blocked effective tonight: Trump officially orders the interception of Iranian vessels, and oil prices surge past $102
U.S. President Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and will have it take effect on April 12; oil prices promptly surged. The U.S. military will intercept ships bound for Iran, but it will not affect shipping from other Persian Gulf countries. This move intensifies the global energy crisis, with oil prices breaking above $100, which could affect inflation and central bank policy. The market is also watching how geopolitical risk could impact risk assets.
ChainNewsAbmedia11m ago
Trump Threatens to Impose 50% Tariffs on China: Intelligence Says China Plans to Deliver Air-Defense Weapons to Iran
U.S. President Trump threatens to impose an additional 50% tariff on China, claiming China is preparing to deliver air defense systems to Iran. This has heightened tensions between the U.S. and China. Trump’s threat is largely political pressure, and implementation would require legal procedures. China denies providing military aid and calls for restraint. The incident shakes the market, drives up oil prices, and affects the outlook for cryptocurrency.
ChainNewsAbmedia23m ago
U.S.-Iran talks break down! The U.S. blocks the Strait and is considering restarting airstrikes. Iran: prepared to miss cheap oil
The peace talks between Iran and the United States have broken down. The U.S. has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and is considering airstrikes, causing international oil prices to break above $100. Bitcoin has fallen below $71,000. Experts warn that the world is facing a severe crude-oil supply shock, and stored oil is about to run out.
CryptoCity1h ago
The American Bankers Association criticizes the White House’s stablecoin report, saying it overlooks the core risks of interest-bearing stablecoins
The American Bankers Association criticized the stablecoin report released by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, saying its analysis was wrong. It emphasized that allowing stablecoins to pay interest would lead to local banks’ deposits flowing out and would tighten credit, countering the report’s claim about the effects of the proposed ban.
GateNews1h ago
The Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Bureau signed a memorandum of cooperation with the National Cyberspace Administration of China, covering areas including AI, cross-border data flows, and blockchain.
Gate News message. On April 13, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced that it has signed with the National Internet Information Office a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the Development of Innovation and Technology, with the aim of promoting high-quality development of the digital economy empowered by technological innovation. The Memorandum of Understanding covers key areas such as artificial intelligence, cross-border data, and blockchain. The objective of the Memorandum of Understanding is to further implement the country’s national “15th Five-Year Plan”, support Hong Kong in building an international innovation and technology center, and promote the development of a new real-economy led by technological innovation.
GateNews2h ago
The U.S. military announced a blockade in waters east of the Strait of Hormuz, and all vessels must obtain authorization to pass through.
Gate News update. On April 13, a notice to seafarers showed that the U.S. military announced it will impose a blockade in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman east of the Strait of Hormuz. According to the notice, any vessel that enters or leaves the blockade area without authorization will be intercepted, diverted, and detained. The blockade measure applies to all maritime traffic, regardless of the flag the vessel flies.
GateNews2h ago
