Michael Burry Says Dropping Claude Was A 'Trumpian' Thing To Do But Pentagon's Six-Month Phase Shows 'Stickiness' Of Anthropic's Tech

The U.S. government's decision to grant a six-month transition period after blacklisting Anthropic suggests its Claude AI model was deeply embedded in Pentagon systems, according to investor Michael Burry.

Pentagon Blacklists Anthropic But Delays Full Exit

On Friday, the Donald Trump administration ordered federal agencies to stop working with Anthropic. The Department of War provided a six-month phase-out period — a move Burry argues reveals Claude's strategic importance.

"Removing Claude was a Trumpian thing to do. He and his people were offended," Burry wrote on social platform X on Sunday. "The 6 month phase out was the military saying, we need Claude for a minute here.'"

Burry Questions Palantir's AI Substitutes

Claude has been deployed on classified networks through Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) and its Maven Smart System. The model was reportedly used during the January mission to seize former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Burry suggested that if alternative models were sufficient, the Pentagon could have replaced Claude immediately.

"The Palantir wrapper with those other models alone is not enough," he wrote. "Shows the stickiness is Claude's tech, not Palantir's. Hard to say Claude wasn't a big factor. Or it would just be swapped and dropped."

Earlier, it was noted that Palantir's Maven Smart System is designed to be model-agnostic, meaning that if Claude is removed, the company can plug in another AI model while maintaining its government contract.

The situation might reinforce Palantir's standing by underscoring how dependent the Pentagon is on its platform infrastructure.

OpenAI Steps In With Pentagon Deal

Meanwhile, on Friday, OpenAI also announced a deal to deploy its AI tools within classified Pentagon systems.

CEO Sam Altman said the agreement includes safeguards prohibiting domestic mass surveillance and requiring human oversight in weapons-related uses.

Price Action: Palantir shares gained 0.92% on Friday, closing at $137.20. In the past 12 months, the shares have been up by 64.47%, according to Benzinga Pro.

PLTR continues to trade in a downward pattern across the short, mid and long-term time frames and carries a weak valuation score, according to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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