Trump’s commerce boss Howard Lutnick says he trusts Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei again: ‘They’ve done what we asked. They’re back on the right side’

“They’ve done what we asked. They’re back on the right side. So the answer is: Yes,” Lutnick told Axios when asked whether he trusts Anthropic.

The shift comes just days after a federal judge in California ruled the Pentagon’s supply-chain risk designation for Anthropic had violated the law, finding that the government’s decision “constituted unlawful retaliation in violation of the First Amendment,” CNN reports.

But the relationship may not be fully repaired. On Thursday, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael posted on X, saying Anthropic is still considered a supply-chain risk by the Defense Department and the defense industry.

Moneywise reached out to the White House and Anthropic for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

Why Anthropic clashed with the Pentagon

At the center of the dispute were two uses Anthropic would not allow for Claude: domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

The Pentagon argued those restrictions could limit how useful the technology would be in high-stakes military situations. Officials raised concerns that Anthropic’s safeguards could, for example, interfere with the military’s ability to use Claude while responding to an incoming missile attack.

The disagreement eventually moved to federal court after the Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk. Anthropic CFO Krishna Rao warned in court filings that the fallout could extend far beyond the company’s direct government contracts, potentially putting hundreds of millions — or even billions — of business dollars at risk.

The restrictions reflect a broader position taken by Amodei, who has repeatedly warned about the risks of increasingly powerful AI. Among his concerns is the possibility that governments could use the technology to monitor large populations, identify dissent and suppress opposition.

Finding common ground

Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown has recently taken on a more prominent role in the company’s public engagement with the Trump administration.