Anthropic Revokes OpenAI’s Access to Claude AI Models

Anthropic has officially revoked OpenAI’s access to its Claude family of AI models, a decision reported by Wired on August 2, 2025, at 3:55 AM PDT. At the time OpenAI was integrating Claude into its internal tools. This would make Claude a stronger competitor to OpenAI’s own models. This comparison emphasized important categories including coding, writing, and safety.

The decision to terminate access comes amid ongoing opposition from Anthropic leadership to providing access to competitors. Jared Kaplan, Anthropic’s Chief Science Officer, has a history of audacious bets. Most prominently, he severed relationships with Windsurf, which was said to be one of OpenAI’s acquisition targets. Windsurf was later acquired by Cognition.

Kaplan articulated the rationale behind revoking OpenAI’s access, stating, “I think it would be odd for us to be selling Claude to OpenAI.” His comments reflect a broader strategy within Anthropic to maintain a distinct competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

In response to the revocation, an Anthropic spokesperson stated, “OpenAI’s own technical staff were using our coding tools ahead of the launch of GPT-5,” emphasizing the importance of safeguarding proprietary technology. They further characterized the connection as “a direct violation of our terms of service.”

OpenAI expressed disappointment at the decision. An OpenAI spokesperson remarked, “While we respect Anthropic’s decision to cut off our API access, it’s disappointing considering our API remains available to them.” This pronouncement underscores familiar frictions between the two groups as they go to war under AI’s competitive coliseum.

The revocation of access severely impacts OpenAI’s ability to operate as a business. It further raises broader questions about what collaboration and cooperation should look like among domestic AI companies. The industry is experiencing rapid growth. For companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, that means figuring out how to work together without losing their competitive advantage.