The Enemy of My Enemy is Still a Corporation
Apr 13, 2026·
·
2 min read
muckrAIkers
In this episode, Jacob and Igor break down the DoD vs. Anthropic standoff, tracing how Claude’s use in military operations led to Anthropic being designated a supply chain security risk. Perhaps more importantly, why did Anthropic choose to take a stand now, and what can that tell us about the corporations behavior moving forward. The investigation is used as a case study in how to read the real motivations behind big institutions: intrinsic values, rational self-interest, and realpolitik.
EPISODE RECORDED 2026.03.17; TRANSCRIPT
Chapters
00:00 ❙ Introduction
00:44 ❙ DoD-Anthropic Standoff
15:08 ❙ 3 Buckets of Motivation
35:39 ❙ How to Read What They're Actually Doing
44:04 ❙ Is This Designation Even Real?
53:39 ❙ Recap (Pragmatist's Playbook)
00:44 ❙ DoD-Anthropic Standoff
15:08 ❙ 3 Buckets of Motivation
35:39 ❙ How to Read What They're Actually Doing
44:04 ❙ Is This Designation Even Real?
53:39 ❙ Recap (Pragmatist's Playbook)
Links
- Ed Zitron subtack article - The AI Bubble Is An Information War
DoD vs. Anthropic Media Coverage
- TechPolicy.Press article - A Timeline of the Anthropic-Pentagon Dispute
- TechPolicy.Press podcast episode - How to Think About the Anthropic-Pentagon Dispute
- BBC news article - Anthropic vows to sue Pentagon over supply chain risk label
- Mayer Brown blogpost - Anthropic Supply Chain Risk Designation Takes Effect — Latest Developments and Next Steps for Government Contractors
- CNN news article - Anthropic says the Pentagon’s supply chain risk label will have less business impact than feared
- BBC news article - Big Tech backs Anthropic in fight against Trump administration
- Gary Marcus substack article - Is the US military actually afraid of Claude?
- The Information news briefing - Anthropic CEO Apologizes for Internal Memo Lashing Out at Trump
- The Information news briefing - Anthropic Says Defense Department Move Has Killed Deals
Palantir-related
- The Guardian article - AI got the blame for the Iran school bombing. The truth is far more worrying
- Palantir YouTube video - Multi-Domain AI: The Future of Command and Control
- CNBC news article - Palantir is still using Anthropic’s Claude as Pentagon blacklist plays out, CEO Karp says
- Fortune article - Palantir CEO Alex Karp says there was ‘never a sense’ AI products would be used for domestic surveillance in Anthropic-DoD feud
- The Guardian news article - Iran war heralds era of AI-powered bombing quicker than ‘speed of thought’
- The Washington Post news article - Anthropic’s AI tool Claude central to U.S. campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud
Other Sources
- Into AI Safety podcast episode - Drawing Red Lines w/ Su Cizem
- Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization paper - Pre-commitment in bargaining with endogenous credibility
- Important Context substack article - Peter Thiel’s Secretive Spending
- Global Investigative Journalism Network article - Introduction to Investigative Journalism: Following the Money
