Just as last week was drawing to a close, the US government forced Anthropic to pull its two newest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, citing national security concerns after Amazon researchers allegedly found a way to bypass Fable 5’s guardrails. This move has cybersecurity researchers up in arms, with an open letter calling it dangerous. Meanwhile, Anthropic itself notes that similar jailbreaks exist in other models.

The question remains: is this a genuine security concern or just the latest twist in Anthropic’s fraught relationship with the Trump administration? On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Sean O’Kane, and Rebecca Bellan dive into what the ban means for developers on the platform, its potential impact on an impending IPO, and more.

The move could have unexpected benefits for Anthropic. By pulling the models, it might inadvertently highlight the security issues in competing AI technologies. This could position Anthropic as a safer alternative, albeit temporarily.

As we watch this unfolding drama, one can’t help but wonder if these hiccups are growing pains of an evolving tech landscape or just another chapter of political theatre.