OpenAI is facing a significant consumer backlash following its partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense—recently rebranded under the Trump administration as the Department of War. On Saturday, February 28, ChatGPT mobile app uninstalls in the U.S. skyrocketed by 295% day-over-day, a massive deviation from the typical 9% average recorded over the previous month, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
The Shift to Claude: A Competitive Surge
As users abandon OpenAI, rival AI provider Anthropic is reaping the benefits. Claude saw its U.S. downloads jump 37% on Friday and 51% by Saturday, February 28. This growth followed Anthropic’s public refusal to partner with the defense department, citing ethical concerns regarding the use of AI in autonomous weaponry and the potential surveillance of American citizens.
The market impact is evident in app store rankings: Claude hit the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store on Saturday, climbing over 20 positions in just one week. Data from Appfigures confirms this trend, noting that Claude’s daily U.S. downloads surpassed ChatGPT’s for the first time on Saturday, with some estimates suggesting an even steeper 88% day-over-day increase.
Market Data and User Sentiment
The negative sentiment is reflected directly in user feedback. Sensor Tower reported that 1-star reviews for ChatGPT surged by 775% on Saturday, with an additional 100% increase on Sunday. Conversely, 5-star reviews for the app plummeted by 50% during the same window.
Other performance metrics highlight the severity of the decline for OpenAI:
- Download Slump: ChatGPT U.S. downloads dropped 13% on Saturday and 5% on Sunday, reversing a positive 14% growth trend observed just before the partnership announcement.
- Global Reach: Claude has secured the top spot as the No. 1 free iPhone app in six countries, including Germany, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland.
- Broad Growth: Similarweb observed that Claude’s U.S. downloads over the past week were roughly 20 times higher than in January, though they noted that broader market factors may also be influencing this rapid acceleration.
The data suggests a clear consumer preference for Anthropic’s stance on defense-related AI, marking a pivotal moment in the current AI landscape as users increasingly vote with their downloads.