Anthropic projects profitability by 2028, while OpenAI plans to lose over $100 billion by 2030. This reveals two divergent philosophies: Anthropic is building a sustainable enterprise business, perhaps hedging against an "AI winter," while OpenAI is pursuing a high-risk, capital-intensive path to AGI.

Dario Amadei's public criticism of advertising and "social media entrepreneurs" isn't just personal ideology. It's a strategic narrative to position Anthropic as the principled, enterprise-focused AI choice, contrasting with consumer-focused rivals like Google and OpenAI who need to "maximize engagement for a billion users."

A fundamental tension within OpenAI's board was the catch-22 of safety. While some advocated for slowing down, others argued that being too cautious would allow a less scrupulous competitor to achieve AGI first, creating an even greater safety risk for humanity. This paradox fueled internal conflict and justified a rapid development pace.

Departures of senior safety staff from top AI labs highlight a growing internal tension. Employees cite concerns that the pressure to commercialize products and launch features like ads is eroding the original focus on safety and responsible development.

While OpenAI captured headlines with internal drama, Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei executed a steadier strategy focused on profitability and sensible growth. This "sensible party" approach proved highly effective, allowing Anthropic to rapidly close the valuation gap while delivering the year's most impactful product.

A significant number of leading AI companies, such as Anthropic and XAI, were founded by executives who left larger players like OpenAI out of disagreement or rivalry. This "spite" acts as a powerful motivator, driving the creation of formidable competitors and shaping the industry's landscape.

Anthropic's resource allocation is guided by one principle: expecting rapid, transformative AI progress. This leads them to concentrate bets on areas with the highest leverage in such a future: software engineering to accelerate their own development, and AI safety, which becomes paramount as models become more powerful and autonomous.

By publicly clashing with the Pentagon over military use and emphasizing safety, Anthropic is positioning itself as the "clean, well-lit corner" of the AI world. This builds trust with large enterprise clients who prioritize risk management and predictability, creating a competitive advantage over rivals like OpenAI.

Anthropic's commitment to AI safety, exemplified by its Societal Impacts team, isn't just about ethics. It's a calculated business move to attract high-value enterprise, government, and academic clients who prioritize responsibility and predictability over potentially reckless technology.