Anthropic to meet Trump administration over Mythos dispute

Senior staff at Anthropic will hold talks with Trump administration officials in Washington on Monday in an attempt to settle the AI firm's latest clash with federal authorities, a source close to the company reported.

The startup received an export control order late last week that invoked "national security authorities" and directed it to block access to its newest systems, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, "by any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States," according to a statement.

To comply, the firm immediately cut off every customer from the two releases.

The move adds fresh tension to Anthropic's already difficult ties with Washington, which deteriorated after the Department of Defense declared the company a supply chain risk in March, thereby barring defense contractors from its technology on grounds that it purportedly threatens U.S. national security.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the latest order in a Saturday post on X, writing that "every passing day" proves why blacklisting Anthropic was "the right move."

The firm has filed suit against the Trump administration seeking to overturn that designation, and the case remains active.

Anthropic introduced the two models on Tuesday, only days before the directive arrived. It had collaborated with federal agencies on pre-release testing and obtained clearance to launch them, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.

At 1:00 p.m. ET Friday, officials phoned the company and told it to shut down the systems over an unspecified national security threat, the source said. A formal letter followed around 5:30 p.m. ET.

The person added that Anthropic had received no prior warning about any national security concern before the order.

The new systems extend capabilities introduced in the firm's Claude Mythos Preview, which performs strongly at spotting software security flaws. Under the cybersecurity program known as Project Glasswing, rollout was initially confined to a small set of partners; that measured approach reportedly gained some favor with the Trump administration, which held multiple briefings on the technology.

Anthropic described both releases as leading performers across standard industry tests. While Mythos 5 access stays restricted to a narrow user base, the firm had opened Fable 5 to enterprise clients and paying subscribers.