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Tech
Jun 17, 2026
Analyzed by Glm 4.5 Flash

Anthropic's Government Feud Boosts Business Sales Despite Model Ban

AI Summary
Despite facing pressure from the Trump administration to restrict access to its latest AI models, Anthropic has surpassed OpenAI in business market share and raised significant funding, suggesting that government controversy may actually be boosting the company's business prospects.

The Lead

Anthropic is experiencing remarkable growth despite government pressure, having surpassed OpenAI in business market share, raising $65 billion at a $965 billion valuation, and filing for an IPO - all while navigating a Trump administration demand to restrict access to its latest AI models.

Market Share Shift and Funding Success

According to data from Ramp, Anthropic finished May by surpassing OpenAI in market share of business spending for the first time. The AI lab also secured $65 billion in funding at a $965 billion valuation, besting OpenAI's valuation. Following these milestones, Anthropic filed confidential paperwork for an IPO, reportedly on the strength of its first-ever profitable quarter.

Government Intervention and Model Withdrawal

The Trump administration renewed its pressure on Anthropic by sending a letter demanding the company ban non-Americans, including its own employees, from accessing its state-of-the-art models: Mythos 5 and Fable 5. This forced Anthropic to pull its latest models from the market altogether. While the exact cause remains unclear, chatter suggests hackers bypassed Fable 5's guardrails, which were intended to prevent access to Mythos' capabilities.

The Business Impact Paradox

Ironically, the government controversy appears to be benefiting Anthropic rather than harming it. According to Ramp's lead economist Ara Kharazian, "Anthropic's best month on record, as far as business adoption, was the month that the Department of Defense labeled them a supply-chain risk. There's a lot of aura that comes with your model specifically being named too dangerous to use."

Subscription Growth and Market Position

Ramp's data from over 70,000 businesses shows Anthropic's share of AI subscriptions paid for by businesses rose 2.5 percentage points in May to 41%, compared to OpenAI's 39.5% which remained essentially flat. While OpenAI still leads in consumer usage, Anthropic's business adoption continues to grow, particularly for its Claude Code AI coding tool and various versions of Claude Opus.

Future Outlook Amidst Regulatory Challenges

As Anthropic navigates these regulatory challenges while preparing for an IPO, the company's available models appear more popular with businesses than ever before. While it's unclear how the latest drama with the White House will impact Anthropic's public offering plans, the numbers suggest that the company's business trajectory remains strong despite government pressure.