Leaked Slack messages from OpenAI's internal channels show CEO Sam Altman telling staff he was trying to 'help' Anthropic during a period when OpenAI was simultaneously securing its own Pentagon contract.
The messages, which surfaced on March 27, paint a complicated picture of the relationship between the two leading AI labs. Altman's framing of his outreach to Anthropic as altruistic sits uncomfortably alongside OpenAI's aggressive competitive moves during the same period.
Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives, including Dario and Daniela Amodei, who left over disagreements about safety and commercialization. The relationship between the two companies has been tense ever since, with both competing for the same enterprise customers, government contracts, and talent.
The leaked messages add another layer to that rivalry. Whether Altman's outreach was genuine concern, strategic positioning, or something else entirely remains unclear. What is clear: the AI industry's top executives are navigating an increasingly complex web of competition, cooperation, and government relationships.
Neither OpenAI nor Anthropic has publicly commented on the leaked messages.