By Bryan Walsh
Publication Date: 2026-02-26 22:45:00
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth sometimes seems more interested in the optics of being a military leader than in actually being a military leader.
Perhaps that’s why he’s opted for a Hollywood-style showdown at lunchtime – or at least late afternoon – for his intensifying dispute with AI company Anthropic. Hegseth gave Anthropic until 5:01 p.m. Friday to respond to his demands that the company give the U.S. military full access to its AI or face consequences that could threaten its survival. Anthropic has so far refused.
What’s unfolding this week is the biggest confrontation between the U.S. government and a tech company over AI ethics since Google employees rebelled against working with the Pentagon in 2018. But with AI far more advanced and far more important to both the American economy and American defense than it was eight years ago, the stakes are now much higher – certainly for Anthropic itself, but also for…
