Claude jumps to No. 2 on App Store after Pentagon moves to block Anthropic tools
Feb 28th 2026
Anthropic’s Claude app surged in downloads after the U.S. Defense Department sought to block government use of the company’s models amid a dispute over permitted use cases and national security concerns.
- Claude reached No. 2 on Apple’s U.S. free apps chart late Friday.
- The Pentagon asked to label Anthropic a supply-chain risk, which would bar defense contractors from using its tools, according to officials.
- Anthropic says it restricts use for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons and urged the department to reconsider.
- President Trump criticized Anthropic on Truth Social after the dispute became public.
- OpenAI said it reached an agreement with the U.S. Defense Department on deployment of its models while ChatGPT remained No. 1 on the App Store.