Claude Surges to No. 2 in App Store After Pentagon Clash

[etfs]

Anthropic’s chatbot Claude has surged to the No. 2 spot among free apps in Apple’s U.S. App Store, riding a wave of public attention following the company’s high-profile dispute with the Pentagon. According to reporting from CNBC, Claude now trails only ChatGPT, while Google Gemini sits in third place. Data from Sensor Tower shows Claude was outside the top 100 at the end of January but steadily climbed through February, jumping from sixth midweek to second by Saturday.

The spike follows Anthropic’s failed negotiations with the United States Department of Defense, where the company sought safeguards against the use of its AI models for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. After talks broke down, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to cease use of Anthropic’s products, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the firm a supply-chain risk. Meanwhile, OpenAI announced its own Pentagon agreement, with CEO Sam Altman stating that it includes protections related to surveillance and autonomous weapons — adding further fuel to the intensifying AI policy spotlight.

[madtrader]

claude hitting #2 while being labeled a supply chain risk is peak 2026 energy