Anthropic’s Pentagon deal is a cautionary tale for startups chasing federal contracts

Anthropic’s Pentagon deal is a cautionary tale for startups chasing federal contracts

The Pentagon has officially designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk after the two failed to agree on how much control the military should have over its AI models, including its use in autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance. As Anthropic’s $200 million contract fell apart, the DoD turned to OpenAI instead, which accepted and then watched ChatGPT uninstalls surge 295%. As the stakes keep rising, the question remains: how much unrestricted…

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ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal

ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal

U.S. app uninstalls of ChatGPT’s mobile app jumped 295% day-over-day on Saturday, February 28, as consumers responded to the news of OpenAI’s deal with the Department of Defense (DoD), which has been rebranded under the Trump administration as the Department of War. This data, which comes from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower, represents a sizable…

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ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal

ChatGPT reaches 900M weekly active users

ChatGPT has reached 900 million weekly active users, OpenAI announced Friday, putting the AI chatbot within striking distance of 1 billion. OpenAI also shared that it now has 50 million paying subscribers. “Subscriber momentum accelerated meaningfully to start the year, with January and February on track to be the largest months for new subscribers in…

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The OpenAI mafia: 18 startups founded by alumni

The OpenAI mafia: 18 startups founded by alumni

Move over, PayPal mafia: There’s a new tech mafia in Silicon Valley. As the startup behind ChatGPT, OpenAI is arguably the biggest AI player in town. The company is reportedly now in talks to finalize a $100 billion deal, valuing the company at more than $850 billion.   Many employees have come and gone since the company first launched a decade ago, and some have launched startups of their own. Among these,…

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OpenAI disbands mission alignment team

OpenAI disbands mission alignment team

OpenAI has disbanded a team that was designed to communicate the company’s mission to the public and to its own employees. At the same time, the team’s former leader has been given a new role as the company’s “chief futurist.” OpenAI confirmed to TechCrunch that the team’s members have now been assigned to other roles….

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ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal

OpenAI policy exec who opposed chatbot’s “adult mode” reportedly fired on discrimination claim

Ryan Beiermeister, who served as OpenAI’s vice president of product policy, was fired in January after a male colleague accused her of sex discrimination, the Wall Street Journal has reported. “The allegation that I discriminated against anyone is absolutely false,” Beiermeister told the Journal. TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for comment and also contacted an…

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Trump’s acting cybersecurity chief uploaded sensitive government docs to ChatGPT

Trump’s acting cybersecurity chief uploaded sensitive government docs to ChatGPT

The acting head of U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA uploaded sensitive contracting documents marked “for official use only” to ChatGPT, according to Politico. The outlet, citing officials, reported Tuesday that CISA’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, appointed by Trump, triggered multiple automated security warnings that are designed to prevent the theft or inadvertent disclosure of government files…

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