Anthropic's Claude reports degraded performance while topping App Store after Pentagon clash
Mar 2nd 2026
Anthropic reported elevated errors on its Opus 4.6 model even as the Claude chat app held the No. 1 spot on Apple’s free app chart, after a high-profile dispute with the Pentagon over usage restrictions.
- Anthropic flagged 'elevated errors' and 'degraded performance' on Claude Opus 4.6 on Monday.
- Anthropic status updates said issues on claude.ai, console and claude code were resolved and a fix for Opus 4.6 was in progress, with updates at 10:47 a.m. ET and 10:49 a.m. ET.
- The Claude app was the top free app on Apple’s App Store during the incident.
- Claude's popularity surged after a public dispute with the Defense Department over Anthropic's request to bar use for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.
- Anthropic signed a $200 million contract with the Pentagon in July and the Pentagon insisted it must be allowed to use the platform for any lawful purpose.
- President Donald Trump ordered U.S. agencies to immediately cease using Anthropic technology, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the company a supply-chain risk, and OpenAI reached a separate deal with the Department of Defense shortly after ties were cut.