Emil Michael
Pentagon CTO who called Amodei a "liar" with a "God complex" and denied productive negotiations were happening, escalating the rhetorical war between the Pentagon and Anthropic.
Emil Michael served as Senior Vice President of Business at Uber from 2013 to 2017, where he was known for aggressive corporate tactics. He was confirmed as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in May 2025, making him the Pentagon’s chief technology officer responsible for AI adoption strategy.
The “All Lawful Use” Demand
Michael publicly stated: “We want all four of them” as long-term AI partners, but insisted “we have to be able to use any model for all lawful use cases.” He stressed that Pentagon-established ethical principles should override company safeguards, citing concerns about AI systems malfunctioning due to embedded restrictions during operations. He also acknowledged that the initial contracts “lacked initial specificity” on terms of use — a gap that became the fault line of the dispute.
Escalation Against Anthropic
As negotiations deteriorated, Michael’s rhetoric sharpened dramatically. He publicly called Dario Amodei a “liar” and accused him of having a “God complex,” while denying that productive negotiations between the Pentagon and Anthropic were taking place. These statements marked a shift from policy disagreement to personal attacks, signaling that the administration viewed the dispute not as a contract negotiation but as a test of government authority over the tech sector.
Michael’s combative posture reflected the broader administration stance: AI companies operating in the defense space would conform to government demands or be replaced. His Uber-era reputation for hardball tactics translated directly into the Pentagon’s approach to Anthropic.