"Ironically, but unfairly": Sam Altman criticized Anthropic's efforts to block ads in ChatGPT

Short reference

* OpenAI CEO Sam Altman accused competitor Anthropic of “unfair” advertising.

* In response, Anthropic released ironic videos highlighting the lack of sponsored links in Claude.

* OpenAI clarified its ad placement rules: only for free users, with clear labeling and no influence on bot responses.

1. Criticism of Altman
In an X post, Sam Altman called Anthropic’s videos “funny,” but “clearly unfair.”

He claims that the creators of Claude use ambiguity to mislead users about how advertising could affect bot performance.

Altman emphasized that OpenAI will never embed commercial ads into conversations in the same way.

2. What Anthropic’s videos say
* The ad clips are humorous and hint at launching ads in ChatGPT, but do not mention it directly.

* The company states that Claude has no sponsored links next to answers and that responses themselves are not tied to advertiser offers.

3. OpenAI’s response
* Ad blocks will appear only for free‑tier users.

* They will be clearly marked and separated from the dialogue.

* Algorithms operate solely in the user’s best interest, without influence from advertisers.

* Paid tier subscribers do not see ads.

4. Altman’s broader attack
Altman used the incident as an opportunity to criticize Anthropic’s business model:

1. Target market – Anthropic positions its product as “expensive” for affluent audiences.

2. OpenAI mission – provide AI to billions of people for free or at an affordable price.

3. Statistics – in Texas, free ChatGPT is used by over 50 % of users, whereas Claude reaches fewer U.S. residents.

5. Authoritarian practices
* Altman called Anthropic’s policy “authoritarian,” pointing to attempts to control user actions and dictate AI usage rules.

* As an example, he cited blocking access to Anthropic tools for several companies, including OpenAI.

* Conversely, OpenAI demonstrated the success of its ad campaign: within days Codex reached 500 k downloads.

Conclusion: Sam Altman was skeptical of the advertising shown by Anthropic, calling it “unfair” and potentially misleading users. The company emphasizes the absence of sponsored links in Claude and explains its ad placement rules within its ecosystem. Altman used this conflict to compare the business models of both companies, highlighting OpenAI’s more democratic approach to AI access.