Consumer Reaction to OpenAI's Defense Department Partnership
In the wake of news regarding OpenAI's agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD), the mobile application for ChatGPT experienced a significant surge in uninstalls within the United States. On Saturday, February 28, U.S. uninstalls of the ChatGPT app increased by a staggering 295% compared to the previous day. This data, sourced from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, stands in stark contrast to ChatGPT's average daily uninstall rate of 9% over the preceding 30 days.
The same period saw a notable uptick in downloads for Anthropic's AI model, Claude, a competitor to OpenAI. On Friday, February 27, Claude's U.S. downloads rose by 37%, followed by a 51% increase on Saturday, February 28. This surge followed Anthropic's announcement that it would not pursue a partnership with the U.S. defense department. Anthropic cited concerns that AI could be utilized for surveillance of American citizens and for the deployment of fully autonomous weaponry, which the company believes AI is not yet equipped to handle safely.
Downloads Shift and App Store Rankings Change
The data suggests that a segment of consumers aligned with Anthropic's stance. Coinciding with the rise in uninstalls, ChatGPT's U.S. download growth was negatively impacted by the DoD partnership announcement. On Saturday, U.S. downloads for ChatGPT dropped by 13% day-over-day immediately after the deal was made public. This downward trend continued into Sunday, with downloads falling another 5% compared to the previous day. Prior to this announcement, ChatGPT's downloads had seen a 14% increase on Friday.
These shifts were prominently reflected in the App Store rankings. Claude's application climbed to the number one position on the U.S. App Store by Saturday, maintaining that spot as of Monday, March 2. This represents a climb of over 20 ranks compared to approximately a week earlier, on February 22, 2026.
User Reviews and Broader Market Trends
Consumer sentiment was also evident in app ratings. Sensor Tower reported that one-star reviews for ChatGPT spiked by 775% on Saturday and then increased by another 100% day-over-day on Sunday. Conversely, five-star reviews saw a 50% decline during the same timeframe.
Additional data from other third-party providers corroborate Sensor Tower's findings. Appfigures, for example, observed that on Saturday, Claude's total daily U.S. downloads surpassed those of ChatGPT for the first time. Appfigures also reported an 88% day-over-day increase in Claude's U.S. downloads on Saturday, a figure even higher than Sensor Tower's estimate.
According to Appfigures, Claude has now achieved the No. 1 free iPhone app status in several countries, including Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. Similarweb, another market intelligence provider, indicated that Claude's U.S. downloads over the past week were approximately 20 times greater than its January figures, though the company cautioned that other factors beyond these privacy concerns might contribute to this growth.
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