OpenAI Signs Pentagon Deal, Loses Support Faster Than ChatGPT's Cool Factor
KEY POINTS
- •Between 40 and 50 protesters gathered outside OpenAI's San Francisco HQ on February 27, expressing concerns about the company’s Pentagon contract.
- •Sam Altman admitted the deal was rushed and vowed to add strict rules against mass surveillance and NSA usage without separate agreements.
- •Katy Perry backed Anthropic’s Claude service, which shot to number one in the App Store on February 28, intensifying the AI rivalry.
On a scorching February afternoon in Mission Bay, San Francisco, about 40-50 protesters gathered with chalk and angst outside OpenAI's headquarters, furious it's cozying up to the Pentagon just days after Trump banned Anthropic's Claude from federal agencies. CEO Sam Altman admitted in a rare memo that the contract looked 'opportunistic and sloppy', promising to bar AI spying on Americans (because that makes everything better). Meanwhile, Katy Perry did her bit by swiping Claude to #1 on the App Store, presumably singing 'AI-deal With It.' Protesters sported slogans attacking data-gulping AI centers, wealth-hoarding tech billionaires with mansion-sized egos, and even a $12 cardboard robot-mask-wearing techie who feared his robot friend would get worse PR than OpenAI's ads.
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(1 of 3)OpenAI signs a Pentagon deal with a PR faceplant noted by even grumpy protesters sporting $12 robot masks — turns out AI’s biggest threat isn’t Skynet but sloppy business tactics.
OpenAI’s great idea: Join Mr. Pentagon, alienate climate fans, art lovers, and even robot-mask nerds. Genius.
When your AI tells you 'Oops, we got sloppy,' you know the future is... well, human-level awkward.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 3/4/2026 | Author: Katherine Li
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