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Coverage dated February 26, 2026 to March 3, 2026

Altman Stands By Pentagon Deal Despite ‘Painful’ Backlash, Report Says

Headline from Forbes, from the development of Mar 3, 2026

Newest development Mar 4, 2026 · 2 reportsSam Altman Caught in Fallout From Dario Amodei’s Pentagon Standoff

OpenAI agreed to allow the Defense Department to use its AI models, drawing criticism after the government cut ties with Anthropic.

Forbes's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Earlier updates in this story

Developments in this update

4 dated developments, oldest first, newest marked. Each is named by one outlet's own headline; open its reports to see every outlet that covered it.

  1. Sam Altman navigates Anthropic's Pentagon fight as OpenAI pursues its own deal with the military

    Headline from Insider ·

  2. OpenAI strikes deal with Pentagon hours after Trump admin bans Anthropic

    Headline from CNN ·

  3. Names this update

    Altman Stands By Pentagon Deal Despite ‘Painful’ Backlash, Report Says

    Headline from Forbes ·

  4. Newest

    Sam Altman Caught in Fallout From Dario Amodei’s Pentagon Standoff

    Headline from Observer ·

Read the reports

Reports & sources

21 articles, oldest first.

  1. Insider

    Sam Altman navigates Anthropic's Pentagon fight as OpenAI pursues its own deal with the military (opens Insider)

    Published

    Insider's feed description

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman threaded the needle when asked about Anthropic's fight with the Pentagon. OpenAI is pursuing its own deal with the military.

  2. CNN

    Sam Altman shares Anthropic’s concerns when it comes to working with the Pentagon (opens CNN)

    Published

    CNN's feed description

    ChatGPT maker OpenAI has the same redlines as Anthropic when it comes to working with the Pentagon, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed to CNN.

  3. Breitbart News

    OpenAI Secures Pentagon Deal for Classified AI Deployment After Trump Dumps 'Woke' Anthropic (opens Breitbart News)

    Published

    Breitbart News's feed description

    Sam Altman's OpenAI reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy its AI models on classified networks, just hours after the Trump administration ordered the federal government to "immediately cease" using Anthropic AI following a battle for control of the artificial intelligence model.

  4. CNN

    OpenAI strikes deal with Pentagon hours after Trump admin bans Anthropic (opens CNN)

    Published

    CNN's feed description

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced late Friday that the company had signed a deal with the Pentagon for its AI tools to be used in the military’s classified systems, but with seemingly similar guardrails rival Anthropic had also requested.

  5. Fortune

    OpenAI sweeps in to snag Pentagon contract after Anthropic labeled 'supply chain risk' in unprecedented move (opens Fortune)

    Published

    Fortune's feed description

    Anthropic said it would contest the decision, which outside experts said was 'likely illegal.' But the damage may already be done.

  6. FOX Business

    OpenAI reaches Pentagon agreement as Trump orders Anthropic off federal systems (opens FOX Business)

    Published

    FOX Business's feed description

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announces agreement with Department of War to deploy AI models on classified networks, hours after Trump ordered agencies to phase out Anthropic technology.

  7. Insider

    OpenAI strikes a Defense Department deal, hours after the Pentagon cuts Anthropic (opens Insider)

    Published

    Insider's feed description

    OpenAI has reached a deal with the Pentagon over the use of its AI models, CEO Sam Altman announced late Friday.

  8. Al Jazeera

    OpenAI strikes deal with Pentagon to use tech in ‘classified network’ (opens Al Jazeera)

    Published

    Al Jazeera's feed description

    Sam Altman claims his technology will not be used by the US for ‘domestic mass surveillance’ or ‘autonomous weapons’.

  9. Insider

    Sam Altman says OpenAI will tweak its Pentagon deal after surveillance backlash (opens Insider)

    Published

    Insider's feed description

    Sam Altman posted an internal memo that OpenAI is working with the Pentagon to "make some additions" to their agreement.

  10. KTVU San Francisco

    OpenAI revising Pentagon contract; CEO Altman admits 'sloppy' deal (opens KTVU San Francisco)

    Published

    KTVU San Francisco's feed description

    OpenAI is revising its contract with the Pentagon following criticism that the agreement could enable mass surveillance of Americans.

  11. New York Post

    OpenAI’s Sam Altman fends off ‘painful’ backlash to Pentagon AI deal — including chalk-wielding activists (opens New York Post)

    Published

    New York Post's feed description

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is scrambling to head off a backlash over the tech giant's deal with the Pentagon -- defending it in front of workers at a tense all-hands meeting on Tuesday, The Post has learned.

  12. Fortune

    Sam Altman says OpenAI renegotiating ‘opportunistic and sloppy’ deal with the Pentagon (opens Fortune)

    Published

    Fortune's feed description

    The renegotiated terms come after OpenAI faced a wave of backlash from inside and outside the company.

  13. Forbes

    OpenAI Blurs Its Mass Surveillance Red Line With New Pentagon Contract (opens Forbes)

    Published

    Forbes's feed description

    Anthropic saw a surveillance problem and walked. OpenAI saw an opportunity and signed. Now, Sam Altman is under fire for struggling to explain how OpenAI’s contract is any safer.

  14. NBC News

    OpenAI alters deal with Pentagon as critics sound alarm over surveillance (opens NBC News)

    Published

    NBC News's feed description

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled a reworked agreement with the Pentagon Monday night governing the Defense Department’s use of its AI services, which he says provides stronger guarantees that the military won’t use OpenAI’s systems for domestic surveillance

  15. Breitbart News

    Sam Altman Apology Tour: OpenAI CEO Says Department of War Deal Looked 'Opportunistic and Sloppy' (opens Breitbart News)

    Published

    Breitbart News's feed description

    OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has publicly stated that his company moved too quickly on a recent agreement with the United States Department of War, announcing revisions to address concerns about surveillance and intelligence agency use designed to cool off the criticism he is taking from leftis…

  16. Observer

    Sam Altman Caught in Fallout From Dario Amodei’s Pentagon Standoff (opens Observer)

    Published

    Observer's feed description

    Sam Altman admits rushing OpenAI’s Pentagon deal as backlash fuels a surge for Anthropic’s Claude and sparks employee revolt.

  17. Forbes

    Altman Stands By Pentagon Deal Despite ‘Painful’ Backlash, Report Says (opens Forbes)

    Published

    Forbes's feed description

    OpenAI agreed to allow the Defense Department to use its AI models, drawing criticism after the government cut ties with Anthropic.

  18. The Guardian

    Sam Altman admits OpenAI can’t control Pentagon’s use of AI (opens The Guardian)

    Published

    The Guardian's feed description

    CEO’s claims come amid increased scrutiny of US military’s use of the technology and ethics concerns from AI workers

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.

Altman Stands By Pentagon Deal Despite ‘Painful’ Backlash, Report Says | Since Then