Elon Musk Slams Anthropic As ‘Misanthropic and Evil’ After AI Startup Secures USD 30 Billion Funding at USD 380 Billion Valuation
Elon Musk has criticised Anthropic as "evil" following its USD 30 billion funding round, which valued the AI firm at USD 380 billion. Musk alleged demographic bias in the Claude chatbot, while Anthropic reported a USD 14 billion revenue run rate. The dispute highlights a growing philosophical divide over AI safety.
Austin, February 13: Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla and xAI, has launched a scathing verbal attack on artificial intelligence rival Anthropic, labelling the company "misanthropic and evil". The remarks were made on the social media platform X shortly after Anthropic announced it had closed a massive USD 30 billion Series G funding round. The investment, led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and Coatue, has propelled the startup’s valuation to USD 380 billion, making it one of the most valuable private companies globally.
Musk’s criticism focused on alleged demographic and ideological biases within Anthropic’s Claude chatbot. Responding directly to the company’s funding announcement, Musk claimed that the AI system exhibits prejudice against specific groups, including "Whites and Asians". He further mocked the company’s name, derived from the Greek word for humanity, suggesting that the firm is destined to become the opposite of its namesake due to its "woke" internal constitution and safety guidelines. Anthropic Faces Trademark Lawsuit in India by Local Firm With Same Name; Bengaluru Company Seeks USD 1,10,000 in Damages.
Escalating Rivalry Between xAI and Anthropic
The tension between Musk and Anthropic has intensified following a series of technical and philosophical disputes. Earlier this year, Anthropic blocked xAI’s access to its Claude models via the coding platform Cursor, citing policy violations regarding the use of its technology to develop competing systems. Musk publicly criticised the move at the time, stating it was "not good for their karma" and using the incident to motivate his team at xAI to accelerate the development of the Grok chatbot.
Philosophical Clash Over AI Governance
At the heart of the conflict is a fundamental disagreement over AI safety and transparency. Anthropic uses a "Constitutional AI" framework, which relies on a set of predetermined principles to ensure its models remain ethical and safe. Musk has repeatedly dismissed this approach as the "woke mind virus" in AI, arguing that strict safety layers lead to politically correct distortions. In contrast, he has positioned Grok as a "maximum truth-seeking" alternative that avoids ideological filtering. SpaceX Acquires xAI: Elon Musk’s Companies to Form the Most Ambitious, Vertically Integrated Innovation Engine.
Anthropic Revenue and Market Impact
Despite criticism from the Tesla chief, Anthropic is demonstrating significant commercial momentum. The company reported that its annualised revenue run rate has reached USD 14 billion, representing more than tenfold growth over the past three years. A primary driver of this growth is Claude Code, an agentic coding platform launched in May 2025 that now generates over USD 2.5 billion in annualised revenue. This financial success comes even as the company faces a legal challenge in India over a trademark dispute with a local firm also named Anthropic.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2026 05:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).