Scoop: Tech groups warn Trump administration on Anthropic designation
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Multiple trade groups representing tech, software and AI companies in Washington warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday against designating U.S. companies as a supply chain risk, per letters shared with Axios.
Why it matters: If the Pentagon goes through with blacklisting Anthropic, it could have ripple effects on the entire tech ecosystem.
- Anthropic is ingrained into many companies' workflows, including those that contract with the government like software companies and chips providers.
Driving the news: Apple, Adobe, Amazon, CoreWeave, Google, Meta, Microsoft and others are among the companies represented by the Information Technology Industry Council, which wrote one letter.
- ITI president Jason Oxman wrote that "contract disputes should be resolved through continued negotiation between the parties, or by the Department selecting alternative providers through established procurement channels."
Another letter sent to President Trump signed by the Software & Information Industry Association, TechNet, the Computer & Communications Industry Association and the Business Software Alliance reads:
- "By essentially treating an American technology company as a foreign adversary, rather than an asset, this action will have a chilling effect on U.S. innovation, undermine the Administration's laudable efforts to promote the American AI stack abroad, and further embolden China's efforts."
- "Our concern is with the precedent such a designation sets for the entire U.S. technology sector rather than the treatment of any one company."
Between the lines: Both letters avoided naming Anthropic directly, showing the politically perilous nature of a situation that could directly hurt other tech companies.
Context: Hegseth said last week that Anthropic was receiving the designation after talks between the two parties broke down over the Pentagon's use of Claude, but the company has not received formal word about it yet.
- President Trump directed the federal government to get rid of Claude in its operations, and agencies this week began doing so.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details about an additional industry letter.
