The Fruity Cargo Cult Apple and other corporate giants may praise Trump’s AI agenda but Amodei believes its lax oversight risks unleashing catastrophe. A scientist turned CEO Amodei is not one to bottle things up even when his policy advisers urge caution when standing up to Trump.

Amodei once compared Trump to a “feudal warlord” in a Facebook post urging votes for Kamala Harris. He dumped law firm Skadden Arps after it settled with Trump, vowing Anthropic would not work with firms “caving to an assault on the rule of law.” He is distancing Anthropic from Latham & Watkins for similar reasons. These moves illustrate a rare mix of scientific idealism and political grit from the tech industry.

His rival in the White House is Dave Sacks, Trump’s AI czar, a venture capitalist, recent MAGA convert with longstanding ties to Elon Mush and Peter Thiel, who views Amodei’s warnings as part of a “doomer” network pushing regulations that will throttle innovation.

He accuses Amodei of wanting maximum government power. Meanwhile, Amodei warns that without proper guardrails AI could devastate half of entry‑level white collar jobs.

This clash shapes is shaping up as a battle over values, money and influence. Anthropic, newly valued at about US$183 billion, has attracted both praise and criticism, as its outspoken posture risks costly political and business retaliation.

Amodei says he’ll speak up regardless of cost. Sacks believes that fear of AI risks will hamper growth. The Wall Street Journal claims that the pair's feuding marks the ideological fault line in AI which is being fought over issues like safety vs speed and regulation versus liberation.