Anthropic's Claude hits No. 2 on Apple's top free apps list after Pentagon rejection

Core Insights - Anthropic's Claude AI app has surged in popularity, reaching the No. 2 position on Apple's U.S. free apps chart, following news of the Trump administration's efforts to block government agencies from using its technology [2][4] - The rise in Claude's popularity is attributed to its stance against mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, which has garnered media attention [2] - The U.S. Department of Defense is considering labeling Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, which could restrict defense contractors from utilizing its technology [3] Company Performance - The Claude iOS app has shown significant growth, moving from No. 131 in the U.S. rankings on January 30 to fluctuating between the top 20 and top 50 throughout February [5] - In contrast, OpenAI's ChatGPT has maintained the No. 1 position in the App Store rankings for most of February, with over 900 million weekly users [6] Industry Dynamics - Anthropic, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, is gaining traction as a supplier of AI models for coding and corporate applications [6] - OpenAI is responding to Anthropic's growth by forming partnerships with consulting firms like Accenture and Capgemini, and has reached an agreement with the U.S. Defense Department for deploying its models [6]