Anthropic’s Claude rises to No. 1 in the App Store following Pentagon dispute

In a remarkable turn of events, Anthropic's chatbot Claude has ascended to the pinnacle of the Apple App Store's free app rankings, spurred by a high-profile dispute with the Pentagon. As reported by CNBC, Claude surpassed OpenAI's ChatGPT to claim the coveted number one position on Saturday night, a title it maintained through Sunday morning. Data from SensorTower reveals that Claude was lingering just outside the top 100 at the end of January. However, it made a swift ascent throughout February, consistently ranking within the top 20. Over just a few days, the chatbot jumped from sixth place on Wednesday to fourth on Thursday, and ultimately to first on Saturday. A spokesperson for Anthropic highlighted that daily signups have shattered previous records each day this week, with the number of free users increasing by over 60% since January. Additionally, paid subscriptions have more than doubled this year, showcasing the growing popularity of the AI tool. The surge in Claude's usage comes on the heels of Anthropic's attempts to negotiate protections against the Department of Defense's potential use of its AI technology for mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry. In a controversial move, President Donald Trump instructed federal agencies to cease the use of all Anthropic products, labeling the company a supply-chain threat. In contrast, OpenAI has forged its own agreement with the Pentagon, which CEO Sam Altman claims includes safeguards concerning domestic surveillance and autonomous weaponry.