Employee Solidarity Across Rival AI Firms

Hundreds of engineers and researchers who work at Google and OpenAI have signed a joint open letter that asks the leadership of both companies to stand together with Anthropic. The letter, titled “We Will Not Be Divided,” is an effort to present a united front against what the signatories describe as attempts by the Department of War to compel AI firms to provide unrestricted access to their models for domestic surveillance and autonomous weaponry.

The petition emphasizes that the companies should “put aside their differences and stand together to continue to refuse the Department of War’s current demands for permission to use our models for domestic mass surveillance and autonomously killing people without human oversight.” Those language points echo remarks made by Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who has warned that certain lines should not be crossed by any AI organization.

Signature Count and Participation

As of the latest count, the open letter has gathered more than 450 signatures. Almost 400 of those signatures belong to Google employees, while the remainder come from OpenAI staff. Roughly half of all participants have attached their names to the cause; the other half have remained anonymous, though every signer has been verified as a current employee of one of the two companies.

Background of the Pentagon Dispute

The letter emerges amid a protracted standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that Anthropic could be labeled a “supply chain risk” if the company does not remove certain guardrails that limit its involvement in classified work. At the same time, the Pentagon has been in discussions with both Google and OpenAI about allowing their models to be used for classified projects. Earlier in the week, the AI startup xAI also entered the conversation.

The signatories argue that the government’s approach is “trying to divide each company with fear that the other will give in.” They contend that a coordinated refusal to comply with the Department of War’s demands would preserve ethical standards across the industry.

Company Leadership Responses

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman recently communicated to his employees that the company intends to maintain the same red lines that Anthropic has drawn. In an internal memo seen by a news outlet, Altman affirmed that OpenAI would not bend to the Pentagon’s pressure. He later told a television network that he does not personally think the Pentagon should be threatening a Defense Production Act (DPA) action against the companies.

While the original organizers of the letter are not employees of Google or OpenAI, they state that they are unaffiliated with any AI company, political party, or advocacy group. Their role has been to coordinate the collection of signatures and to frame the message that the signatories wish to convey.

Implications for the AI Community

The coordinated effort by employees of two rival firms highlights a growing willingness within the tech sector to collectively address ethical concerns surrounding military applications of artificial intelligence. By presenting a unified stance, the signatories aim to pressure corporate leadership to uphold safeguards that prevent the use of AI models in ways that could enable mass surveillance or autonomous lethal actions without human oversight.

The open letter represents a notable moment of cross‑company solidarity, suggesting that concerns over AI ethics can transcend competitive business interests when faced with external governmental pressure.

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