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Comment by trelane

1 day ago

https://x.com/PalmerLuckey/status/2027500334999081294

It is an interesting point. What's the difference between this use license and others?

If the government thinks the terms of Anthropic are unacceptable, they can just stop using them, right? But why would you then retaliate and ban other companies from making business with Anthropic if they want to be a defense contractor? How do these requirements make Anthropic a supply chain risk that makes them unusable for use by other companies?

  • > If the government thinks the terms of Anthropic are unacceptable, they can just stop using them, right

    That is what they are doing.

    > why would you then [....] ban other companies from making business with Anthropic if they want to be a defense contractor

    Because, if it shops with Anthropic code, the DoD becomes subject to the restrictions when they receive the contractor's product. Anthropic's limitation is on the use, not (just) on the product or distribution.

    To stop using them requires making the suppliers still using them as well.

    • > Because, if it shops with Anthropic code, the DoD becomes subject to the restrictions when they receive the contractor's product. Anthropic's limitation is on the use, not (just) on the product or distribution.

      How does that work? If the contractor uses Anthropic to make some slides and write a report, the DoD can’t use the contractors stuff however they want?

    • That's just wrong. At most it requires the DoD to require that contractors do not use it on the work for the DoD.

It's perfectly reasonable for the US government to end the contract if they no longer like the terms they agreed to (assuming the contract does in fact let them); it's not reasonable to destroy the counterparty to the contract in retaliation. The line "I am altering the deal; pray I don't alter it further" is literally spoken by Darth Vader, the most comic-book of comic-book villains.

Then the government should end their contract with Anthropic. The terms of the contract were clear.

Designating them a supply chain risk is unprecedented authoritarian strong-arming.

This is nice rhetoric but ignores the fact that the elected officials are bought out by other billionaires. The US is an oligarchy in a republics clothing.