Anthropic's AI app Claude jumps to the top of free app downloads on the US App Store According to the APP Store page, Anthropic's AI chatbot application Claude has recently jumped to the top spot for free app downloads on the US App Store, a significant increase from the 42nd place two months ago. The report points out that this ranking climb is not due to new features, but rather to the escalating controversy between Anthropic and the US government over the use of technology. US President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized Anthropic and demanded that the federal government stop using its technology and prohibit contractors who do business with the US military from engaging in commercial cooperation with Anthropic, only allowing it to continue providing services to the Department of Defense for the next six months to complete the transition. Anthropic responded by refusing to use current cutting-edge AI models for fully automated weapons and large-scale domestic surveillance, believing that such usage would endanger the safety of military personnel and civilians and violate basic rights.