ChatGPT’s mobile app experienced a sharp spike in uninstalls in the United States after OpenAI’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense became public, according to market intelligence data cited by multiple outlets.
U.S. app uninstalls of ChatGPT surged 295% day-over-day on Saturday, February 28, following news of the deal with the Department of Defense, which has been rebranded under the Trump administration as the Department of War.
The data came from Sensor Tower and represented a substantial deviation from the app’s normal behavior. ChatGPT’s typical day-over-day uninstall rate averaged 9% over the past 30 days, making the February 28 spike unusually high.
Uninstalls jumped 295% compared to the previous day, far above the app’s normal uninstall growth rate.
Download Growth Reverses Course
The impact extended beyond uninstall figures.
According to TechCrunch, ChatGPT’s U.S. downloads dropped 13% day-over-day on Saturday, shortly after the news broke, and declined another 5% on Sunday. This marked a reversal from Friday, when downloads had grown 14% day-over-day before the defense partnership became public.
Business Standard confirmed the same trajectory, reporting that growth reversed following disclosure of the deal, with downloads falling 13% on Saturday and slipping another 5% on Sunday.
The data suggests a swift consumer reaction tied directly to the defense agreement.
Rival Anthropic’s Claude Gains Momentum
While ChatGPT faced backlash, competitor Anthropic appeared to benefit.
TechCrunch reported that U.S. downloads of Anthropic’s Claude app increased 37% day-over-day on Friday and rose 51% on Saturday after the company announced it would not partner with the U.S. defense department.
Anthropic said it was unable to agree on deal terms due to concerns that artificial intelligence could be used to surveil Americans or deployed in fully autonomous weaponry, which the company said AI is “not yet ready to do safely.”
Business Standard reported that Anthropic had stated it did not want its AI tools to be used for mass surveillance of Americans or for fully autonomous weapons systems.
Claude climbed to the No. 1 position on the U.S. App Store on Saturday and remained there through Monday, rising more than 20 ranks compared with February 22.
Outside the United States, Claude became the top free iPhone app in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland.
Ratings Reflect User Sentiment
Consumer reaction was also visible in app store reviews.
One-star reviews for ChatGPT surged 775% on Saturday and grew another 100% day-over-day on Sunday, while five-star reviews declined by 50% during the same period.
The spike in one-star ratings reflected user dissatisfaction with the Pentagon agreement.
Sam Altman Responds to Criticism
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed concerns about the timing and handling of the defense deal.
Business Standard reported that Altman described the agreement as appearing opportunistic and sloppy after tensions between the Pentagon and Anthropic became public.
Altman stated that OpenAI is working with the department to clarify the terms of the agreement and emphasized that its AI should not be used for domestic surveillance of Americans. He also indicated that intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency would not be allowed to depend on OpenAI’s services under revised terms.
Rapid Market Reaction
Third-party analytics firm Similarweb, reported that Claude’s U.S. downloads over the past week were around 20 times higher than in January, though it cautioned that factors beyond political developments may have contributed.
The rapid shifts in downloads, rankings, and reviews suggest that AI platform users are increasingly responsive to corporate policy decisions, particularly when they intersect with national security and defense issues.
