Scott Bessent and Susie Wiles Meet Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei as Pentagon Risk Case Stalls

A high-level meeting on Friday signaled a potential thaw between Anthropic and the Trump administration even as the Pentagon’s “supply chain risk” designation remains tied up in court.

“Skip to main content Apr 17, 2026 - Technology Scoop: Bessent and Wiles met Anthropic's Amodei in sign of thaw Maria Curi, Marc Caputo, Dave Lawler email (opens in new window) sms (opens in new window) facebook (opens in new window) twitter (opens in new window) linkedin (opens in new window) bluesky (opens in new window) Add Axios as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google”

Axios

TechCrunch reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell were encouraging the heads of major banks to test out Anthropic’s new Mythos model, and it said the earlier signs of warming included that broader engagement.

Benzinga

TechCrunch then pointed to Axios reporting that Bessent and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, describing the White House account as an “introductory meeting” that was “productive and constructive.”

In that same TechCrunch account, the White House statement said, “We discussed opportunities for collaboration, as well as shared approaches and protocols to address the challenges associated with scaling this technology,” and Anthropic issued a statement confirming Amodei met “senior administration officials for a productive discussion on how Anthropic and the U.S. government can work together on key shared priorities such as cybersecurity, America’s lead in the AI race, and AI safety.”

Axios similarly described the meeting as a sign of thaw, saying Wiles was circumspect about the Pentagon aspect by noting “it’s in court,” while also making clear “the government needs a relationship with Anthropic and she wants an open line of communication.”

The meeting’s focus, according to Axios, included “how Anthropic is safeguarding its code and how the company makes decisions around things like when and how to release new models,” and it framed the talks as a way to separate the Pentagon fight from how other departments engage with Anthropic’s Mythos Preview model.

The thaw comes against a dispute that began after failed negotiations over the military’s use of Anthropic’s models, with Anthropic seeking safeguards around fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.

TechCrunch said the dispute “seemingly began after failed negotiations over the military’s use of Anthropic’s models,” and it described Anthropic’s position as seeking to “maintain safeguards around the use of its technology for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.”

CNBC

In Axios’s account, the Pentagon’s “supply chain risk” designation followed the company’s refusal to make its software available to the military for “all lawful uses,” and it said Amodei insisted on restricting use for mass surveillance or to develop autonomous weapons.

Axios also described the internal escalation inside the administration, saying “During weeks of bitter and ultimately failed negotiations, some in the Pentagon grew to loathe Anthropic and Amodei,” and it said President Trump declared that “all government agencies must cease their use of Anthropic, but that pronouncement is on hold as the court battle continues.”

CNBC added that Trump had ordered all federal agencies to “IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic's technology” in a Truth Social post, while also noting that a federal judge temporarily blocked the directive.

TechCrunch further explained that the Pentagon’s label is “a label that’s generally reserved for foreign adversaries and could severely limit the use of Anthropic’s models by the government,” and it said the company is “challenging that designation in court.”

Across the reporting, multiple voices tied the meeting to cybersecurity priorities and to a desire to keep communication open while the Pentagon dispute continues.

“The White House said its meeting with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei was "productive and constructive" on Friday, the latest sign of a potential thaw in the standoff between the government and the leading artificial intelligence company”

CNBC

TechCrunch quoted the White House statement that the meeting was “productive and constructive,” and it included the White House line, “We discussed opportunities for collaboration, as well as shared approaches and protocols to address the challenges associated with scaling this technology.”

TechCrunch also said Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark characterized the ongoing fight as a “narrow contracting dispute” that “would not interfere with the company’s willingness to brief the government about its latest models.”

Axios added a more pointed internal framing from a Trump adviser, who told Axios, “This is a big problem. Everyone's complaining. There's all this drama. So this got elevated to Susie to hear Dario out, determine what is bullsh-t and start to plot a way forward,” and it described Wiles as saying “it’s in court” while also wanting an open line of communication.

Axios further reported that the discussion covered “how Anthropic is safeguarding its code and how the company makes decisions around things like when and how to release new models,” and it said the meeting was expected to shape how other departments engage with Anthropic’s new Mythos Preview model.

CNBC echoed the White House framing, quoting that the meeting was “productive and constructive,” and it said the conversation explored “the balance between advancing innovation and ensuring safety.”

While the core event is consistent across outlets—a Friday meeting between Susie Wiles, Scott Bessent, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei—coverage diverges in how it frames the significance and the surrounding context.

TechCrunch emphasizes the “thawing” relationship and ties it to signals that “not every part of the administration wanted to cut off Anthropic,” including reports that Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell encouraged major banks to test Mythos.

Tech Observer Magazine

Axios, by contrast, foregrounds the political mechanics inside the administration, describing how both sides tried to “wall off the Pentagon fight from the way the rest of the government engaged with Anthropic,” and it includes a “Why it matters” framing that Anthropic is building tools with “enormous implications for the federal government.”

Axios also includes a skeptical quote from a U.S. official: “They're using this Mythos cyber weapon to find friendly ears in the government,” and it adds, “They're succeeding.”

CNBC centers the contrast between official statements and Trump’s public reaction, reporting that when asked about Amodei’s visit on a runway in Phoenix, Ariz., Trump responded “Who?” and later “no idea,” even as the White House said the meeting was “productive and constructive.”

The Tech Observer Magazine account, meanwhile, stresses the meeting’s implications for “India‘s fast-growing AI ecosystem,” and it says “Decisions taken in the US often shape global access to frontier AI systems.”

The reporting ties the thaw to concrete next steps around access to Mythos and to the risk calculus for government agencies, especially those concerned about cybersecurity and the financial system.

“US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles met Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Friday, signalling a potential thaw despite the Pentagon's ongoing court battle with the AI company”

Tech Observer Magazine

Axios described that “Treasury and other government agencies have expressed interest in joining that list,” referring to the selective access to Mythos, and it said “Two sources told Axios prior to the White House meeting that a deal along those lines could be struck soon.”

TechCrunch

Axios also laid out the concern that “Mythos and other cutting-edge AI tools could allow nefarious hackers to breach the U.S. financial system,” while offering an alternative framing that “companies and government agencies could utilize Mythos to harden their cyber defenses before bad actors get access.”

Tech Observer Magazine added that Mythos access is limited to organizations including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), NVIDIA, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Broadcom, The Linux Foundation and JPMorgan Chase, and it said Mythos is designed to “identify vulnerabilities in software systems that human analysts may miss.”

CNBC added that Anthropic is “rolling the model out to a select group of companies as part of Project Glasswing, a new cybersecurity initiative, and does not have plans to release it publicly,” and it said the company declined to comment.

TechCrunch and Axios both emphasized that the Pentagon designation is still being fought in court, with TechCrunch saying the company is “challenging that designation in court” and Axios saying the pronouncement is “on hold as the court battle continues.”