HomeChatGPT sees user exodus following Pentagon contract announcement
On Saturday, February 28, daily uninstalls of the ChatGPT mobile app in the U.S. surged by 295%, as users reacted to OpenAI's newly announced collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD)—now rebranded under the Trump administration as the Department of War.
According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, this spike marks a sharp rise compared to ChatGPT's typical daily uninstall rate of 9% observed over the previous month.
Meanwhile, U.S. downloads for Claude—Anthropic’s rival to OpenAI—rose 37% on Friday, February 27, and climbed another 51% by Saturday, February 28. This followed Anthropic’s public refusal to partner with the U.S. defense department, citing disagreements over terms and ethical concerns about using AI for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems, which the company believes AI is not yet ready to handle safely.
The data suggests a subset of consumers strongly favored Anthropic's ethical stance.
In addition, ChatGPT's download growth took a hit following news of the DoD partnership. U.S. downloads fell 13% day-over-day on Saturday, immediately after the deal became public, and dropped another 5% on Sunday. Before the announcement, the app had seen a 14% increase in downloads on Friday.
These shifts were mirrored in Claude’s App Store performance, where it reached the #1 spot on the U.S. App Store by Saturday—a position it maintained through Monday, March 2. That represents a jump of more than 20 ranks compared to the previous week (February 22, 2026).
Users also voiced their opinions through app ratings. Sensor Tower reported that 1-star reviews for ChatGPT skyrocketed 775% on Saturday, then doubled again on Sunday. During the same period, 5-star reviews declined by 50%.
Other third-party data providers support Sensor Tower’s findings.
Appfigures, for example, noted that Claude’s total daily U.S. downloads on Saturday surpassed ChatGPT’s for the first time. Its estimates were even higher, showing an 88% day-over-day increase for Claude that day.
Appfigures also reported that Claude is now the top free iPhone app in six countries: Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, and the U.S.
A third analytics provider, Similarweb, indicated that Claude’s U.S. downloads over the past week were roughly 20 times higher than in January, though it cautioned that factors beyond political issues may have contributed to this growth.
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On Saturday, February 28, daily uninstalls of the ChatGPT mobile app in the U.S. surged by 295%, as users reacted to OpenAI's newly announced collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD)—now rebranded under the Trump administration as the Department of War.
According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, this spike marks a sharp rise compared to ChatGPT's typical daily uninstall rate of 9% observed over the previous month.
Meanwhile, U.S. downloads for Claude—Anthropic’s rival to OpenAI—rose 37% on Friday, February 27, and climbed another 51% by Saturday, February 28. This followed Anthropic’s public refusal to partner with the U.S. defense department, citing disagreements over terms and ethical concerns about using AI for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems, which the company believes AI is not yet ready to handle safely.
The data suggests a subset of consumers strongly favored Anthropic's ethical stance.
In addition, ChatGPT's download growth took a hit following news of the DoD partnership. U.S. downloads fell 13% day-over-day on Saturday, immediately after the deal became public, and dropped another 5% on Sunday. Before the announcement, the app had seen a 14% increase in downloads on Friday.
These shifts were mirrored in Claude’s App Store performance, where it reached the #1 spot on the U.S. App Store by Saturday—a position it maintained through Monday, March 2. That represents a jump of more than 20 ranks compared to the previous week (February 22, 2026).
Users also voiced their opinions through app ratings. Sensor Tower reported that 1-star reviews for ChatGPT skyrocketed 775% on Saturday, then doubled again on Sunday. During the same period, 5-star reviews declined by 50%.
Other third-party data providers support Sensor Tower’s findings.
Appfigures, for example, noted that Claude’s total daily U.S. downloads on Saturday surpassed ChatGPT’s for the first time. Its estimates were even higher, showing an 88% day-over-day increase for Claude that day.
Appfigures also reported that Claude is now the top free iPhone app in six countries: Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, and the U.S.
A third analytics provider, Similarweb, indicated that Claude’s U.S. downloads over the past week were roughly 20 times higher than in January, though it cautioned that factors beyond political issues may have contributed to this growth.
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Discover the 2026 best AI pregnancy copilots for safe, personalized trimester-by-trimester workout and nutrition plans. Get top-rated, curated recommendations with free vs paid comparisons and real-world insights. Unlock your healthiest pregnancy journey with XIX.AI's expert guide. Explore now.
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