ChatGPT briefly lost its App Store lead to Claude amid backlash over OpenAI's Department of Defense contract, but has since regained the top position as the AI assistant market continues to evolve.
ChatGPT has returned to the top of the U.S. App Store after briefly losing its lead to Anthropic's Claude, following controversy over OpenAI's recent contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. The brief shift in rankings highlighted growing competition in the AI assistant market and user sensitivity to military partnerships.
The DoD Deal Backlash
The controversy began when OpenAI signed a contract with the Department of Defense on the same day Anthropic's deadline to accept similar terms expired. Anthropic had refused to accept two clauses in the multi-million-dollar contract, leading to its designation as a supply chain risk by the Pentagon.
Despite OpenAI claiming to have secured safeguards that Anthropic failed to obtain, the move sparked immediate backlash among ChatGPT users. Many uninstalled the app in protest, with reports indicating ChatGPT uninstalls grew by 295% in the days following the announcement.
Claude's Brief Moment at the Top
The user exodus briefly propelled Claude to the top of the U.S. App Store for the first time on March 1st. This marked a significant milestone for Anthropic, which had been steadily gaining traction in the consumer market after years of focusing primarily on enterprise and developer segments.
However, the backlash proved short-lived. Earlier today, ChatGPT reclaimed the top spot on the U.S. App Store, with Claude settling into second place and Google Gemini holding third position.
Shifting Market Dynamics
The controversy comes at a challenging time for OpenAI, which has seen its once-dominant position in the large language model market erode considerably over the past year. According to a report by Apptopia, ChatGPT's share of daily U.S. users fell from 69.1% in January 2025 to 45.3% in January 2026.
During the same period, Google's Gemini experienced substantial growth, expanding from 14.7% to 25.1% market share. Alphabet recently revealed that Gemini had climbed to 750 million monthly active users, up from 650 million in November. By comparison, OpenAI confirmed it had reached 900 million weekly active users and crossed 50 million subscribers.
Anthropic's Rising Momentum
Anthropic has been positioning itself as a responsible alternative in the AI space, backing this reputation with multiple studies and reports. The company's Super Bowl campaign, which subtly criticized OpenAI's decision to introduce ads in ChatGPT, helped break into the U.S. App Store's Top 10 for the first time on February 13th.
The Pentagon dispute has further amplified attention on Anthropic, with the company suing to block its designation as a supply chain risk. More than 30 industry staffers have filed an amicus brief supporting Anthropic's position.
What This Means for the AI Assistant Market
The brief reshuffling of App Store rankings demonstrates the volatility and competitiveness of the AI assistant market. While ChatGPT has regained its top position, the controversy has helped establish Claude as a viable alternative for users concerned about military partnerships.
Whether Anthropic can maintain this momentum and capitalize on growing user awareness remains to be seen. The company's challenge will be converting temporary interest from controversy into sustained user growth and engagement.
The episode also highlights how quickly user sentiment can shift in the AI space, where alternatives are readily available and switching costs are minimal. As competition intensifies, companies will need to navigate not just technical capabilities but also ethical considerations and public perception.
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