The whole thing was a scam

2025-06-07 · Source: Marcus on AI · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation, AI Ethics & Governance · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, publicly supported Dario Amodei of Anthropic while simultaneously negotiating a deal to acquire Anthropic's business, according to The New York Times. This secret negotiation began on Wednesday, before Altman's public endorsement of Amodei and before Donald Trump's denouncement of Anthropic. The deal followed Brockman's $25 million donation to Trump's PAC. The government's subsequent rejection of Anthropic's terms, labeling them a "supply chain risk," and favoring OpenAI, which offered similar terms and had made significant campaign contributions, suggests a move away from market-based capitalism towards an oligarchical system influenced by political connections and donations. The author criticizes this outcome as unfair, despite personal reservations about Amodei and Anthropic's past actions, including a $1.5 billion settlement for writer's work and walking back a core safety pledge.

Key takeaway

For investors evaluating the competitive landscape in the AI sector, you should recognize that market dynamics may be heavily influenced by political donations and connections, rather than purely by product merit or market terms. This shift suggests that regulatory and political risk factors, including campaign contributions, are critical due diligence items when assessing the long-term viability and competitive standing of AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Key insights

Political influence and campaign contributions appear to supersede fair market competition in high-stakes tech deals.

Principles

• Market decisions can be subverted by political connections.
• Public support can mask private competitive actions.

In practice

• Scrutinize public statements against private actions.
• Monitor political donations in competitive industries.

Topics

• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• Sam Altman
• Government Contracts
• AI Ethics

Best for: Investor, AI Ethicist, Policy Maker, Tech Journalist

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• AI is inherently political. Donating $25M to Trump's PAC is also... very political. — OpenAI's president donated $25 million to a Trump Super PAC, influencing AI deregulation efforts.

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Marcus on AI.