Solidarity among competitors is rare in tech. What happened on Monday is making headlines precisely because of that: 37 engineers, researchers, and scientists from OpenAI and Google DeepMind filed an amicus brief supporting Anthropic’s lawsuit against the Pentagon’s supply chain risk designation.
Who Signed
Among the signatories is Jeff Dean — Google’s Chief Scientist and one of the most influential figures in AI research. The brief identifies its signatories as “engineers, researchers, scientists, and other professionals” at Google and OpenAI.
This is notable because it’s not about corporate statements. Last week, the tech lobby group ITI sent a letter to Hegseth on behalf of Nvidia, Amazon, and Apple. This time, it’s individuals taking a personal stand.
What the Brief Says
The core argument: the designation of Anthropic as a ‘supply chain risk’ was an improper and arbitrary use of power with serious ramifications for the entire industry.
The brief argues that the action could have a chilling effect on all AI companies that want to maintain ethical guidelines. If one company gets punished for drawing red lines, others will think twice before doing the same.
Why This Matters
The fact that employees from OpenAI — the company that landed the very Pentagon deal Anthropic turned down — are publicly supporting their competitor is remarkable. It shows that the question of AI safety in the military context doesn’t stop at company boundaries.
My Take
I think this is a powerful statement. In an industry usually defined by competition, individuals are stepping up and saying: this is about something bigger. Whether it makes a legal difference is another question entirely. But symbolically, it’s enormous.
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