{"id":95046,"date":"2026-03-09T12:23:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=95046"},"modified":"2026-03-09T12:28:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:28:40","slug":"openais-robotics-chief-resigns-over-pentagon-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/openais-robotics-chief-resigns-over-pentagon-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI\u2019s robotics chief resigns over Pentagon deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In response to OpenAI\u2019s contentious agreement with the US Department of Defense, Caitlin Kalinowski <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/ckalinowski_i-resigned-from-openai-i-care-deeply-about-share-7436085772010586112-DoNk\/?utm_source=share&#038;utm_medium=member_desktop&#038;rcm=ACoAAAA7ZrMB5heap3Zo84th9xa0rP-7ZgtiwKI\">resigned<\/a> as head of the company\u2019s hardware division.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt was not an easy decision. Artificial intelligence plays an important role in ensuring national security. But surveillance of Americans without a court warrant and lethal autonomy without human approval are issues that deserve more scrutiny than they are getting now,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Kalinowski worked at Apple on Mac hardware, then moved to Meta, becoming one of the key engineers at Reality Labs. In 2024 she joined OpenAI as head of robotics and consumer hardware.<\/p>\n<p>In her statement she stressed that the decision was \u201cabout principle, not people,\u201d expressing \u201cdeep respect\u201d for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the startup\u2019s team.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIn my view, the announcement was made hastily, without defining limits. These are first and foremost governance questions. They are too important to rush into deals,\u201d Kalinowski added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>An OpenAI representative <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/03\/07\/openai-robotics-lead-caitlin-kalinowski-quits-in-response-to-pentagon-deal\/\">stressed<\/a> that the agreement with the Pentagon \u201ccreates a working pathway for the responsible use of AI for national security, while clearly drawing red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWe understand that people have strong beliefs on these issues, and we will continue to discuss them with employees, government and the public around the world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The OpenAI\u2013Pentagon agreement was concluded in late February, shortly after talks between Anthropic and the Department of Defense stalled.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/telegram.org\/js\/telegram-widget.js?23\" data-telegram-post=\"forklogAI\/6813\" data-width=\"100%\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Soon after, Altman acknowledged that the deal was \u201crushed\u201d and, in reputational terms for the startup, \u201cdoes not look very good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/telegram.org\/js\/telegram-widget.js?23\" data-telegram-post=\"forklogAI\/6816\" data-width=\"100%\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The episode affected the popularity of ChatGPT and Claude. Uninstalls of the former rose 295%, while the latter <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/forklogAI\/6815\">climbed<\/a> to the top of the App Store rankings.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-c09f8558fcbab8f8-8264119773972309.webp\" alt=\"image\" class=\"wp-image-276436\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Downloads of Claude and ChatGPT mobile apps in the US. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/appfigures.com\/\">Appfigures<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The government\u2019s clash with Anthropic<\/h2>\n<p>In July 2025 the US Department of Defense <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/pentagon-taps-anthropic-google-openai-and-xai-for-up-to-200m-in-ai-security-work\">signed<\/a> contracts worth up to $200m with Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and xAI to develop AI solutions for security.<\/p>\n<p>In January 2026 the WSJ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/tech\/ai\/anthropic-ai-defense-department-contract-947d5f33?mod=article_inline\">reported<\/a> the agreement with Anthropic was at risk of being terminated. The dispute arose over the startup\u2019s strict ethics policy. The rules prohibit using the Claude model for mass surveillance and autonomous lethal operations.<\/p>\n<p>In February 2026 the US Army <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/wsj-u-s-military-used-claude-in-raid-to-capture-maduro\">deployed<\/a> Claude in an operation to capture Venezuela\u2019s president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, after which the conflict escalated.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s CEO, Dario Amodei, <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/anthropic-accuses-chinese-ai-labs-of-data-theft\">met<\/a> with defense secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss the situation. The department <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/us-government-to-cease-use-of-anthropic-technologies\">issued<\/a> an ultimatum: Anthropic had to accept the government\u2019s terms by 27 February.<\/p>\n<p>The startup\u2019s CEO, Dario Amodei, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/statement-department-of-war\">said<\/a> he would prefer not to work with the Pentagon than agree to uses of his technologies that could \u201cundermine rather than protect democratic values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In late February US president Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/us-government-to-cease-use-of-anthropic-technologies\">ordered<\/a> all federal agencies to cease using Anthropic\u2019s technologies entirely within six months.<\/p>\n<p>He called the startup \u201ca company that has spun out of control\u201d run by people who \u201chave no idea what the real world is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon officially designated Anthropic a \u201csupply chain risk\u201d \u2014 putting the firm\u2019s business with other government contractors in jeopardy. Microsoft and Google said they would continue providing products to the company.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Heading to court<\/h2>\n<p>Amodei <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/where-stand-department-war\">said<\/a> his company will challenge in court the Department of Defense\u2019s decision to label the firm a supply-chain risk. It is \u201clegally unfounded,\u201d the entrepreneur believes.<\/p>\n<p>The statement says the Pentagon\u2019s decision does not concern the overwhelming majority of Claude\u2019s customers.<\/p>\n<p>According to Amodei, the company held productive talks with the Defense Department for several days, but they fell apart after the leak of an internal memo. In it the CEO described OpenAI\u2019s relationship with the department as \u201cmore of a security performance than real risk mitigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amodei apologized for the leak, saying the company unintentionally disclosed the memorandum\u2019s contents and did not instruct anyone to do so.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt is not in our interest to make matters worse,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The startup head stressed that the document was written within hours of a series of announcements that Anthropic would be removed from federal systems. He apologized for the tone, calling that day \u201ca difficult one for the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amodei added that the memorandum is \u201can outdated assessment\u201d and does not reflect \u201ca careful and considered view.\u201d According to him, the firm\u2019s top priority is to ensure that American soldiers and national-security experts have access to vital tools amid ongoing major combat operations.<\/p>\n<p>Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of Defense with its models \u201cat cost\u201d for as long as necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Former White House artificial-intelligence adviser Dean Ball noted that it will be hard for the company to challenge the Pentagon\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCourts are quite reluctant to second-guess government decisions about what is or is not a national-security matter. To do so you need to clear a very high bar. But it is not impossible,\u201d the expert <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/03\/05\/anthropic-to-challenge-dods-supply-chain-label-in-court\/\">noted<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In February Anthropic <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/anthropic-eases-ai-safety-rules-amid-pentagon-pressure\">softened<\/a> a key safety policy, explaining it was necessary to remain competitive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In response to OpenAI\u2019s contentious agreement with the US Department of Defense, Caitlin Kalinowski resigned as head of the company\u2019s hardware division.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"OpenAI hardware chief Caitlin Kalinowski resigns over Pentagon deal","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1434,438,1190],"class_list":["post-95046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-anthropic","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-openai"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"141","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"OpenAI hardware chief Caitlin Kalinowski resigns over Pentagon deal","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95046"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95048,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95046\/revisions\/95048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}