Anthropic now outspends OpenAI on Washington lobbying

A company that built its reputation on being careful about AI is, in Washington, behaving exactly like every big corporation before it: paying lobbyists to shape the rules before they're written without its input. Anthropic spent $3.53 million on federal lobbying in the first half of 2026 — nearly triple its pace a year earlier, and $1.3 million more than rival OpenAI's $2.22 million, according to the Financial Times.

Who spent what

The quarterly breakdown shows the growth isn't slowing down: Anthropic spent $1.97 million in Q2, up 26% from Q1 and its highest quarterly total since it started lobbying back in March 2024. OpenAI shows a similar pattern: $1.2 million in Q2, up 18%. Combined, Anthropic's first-half 2026 spending already exceeds its entire 2025 lobbying budget of $3.1 million, BeInCrypto reports, citing the FT.

Where the money goes

The list of topics reads like an agenda for the whole industry: export controls, cybersecurity, AI safety standards, copyright, cloud computing regulation, and defense procurement. Company lobbyists met with lawmakers in both chambers of Congress, plus officials at the White House and the Commerce Department — and, notably, the Treasury Department, which Anthropic lobbied for the first time this quarter.

Export controls aren't an abstract line item here: earlier this month we covered how Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models spent 19 days under an export ban before the restrictions were lifted — the US has lifted export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5. A company whose regulatory exposure can freeze a product launch for weeks has a direct financial incentive to keep a standing presence in Washington rather than react after the fact.

Opposite bets: Anthropic backs state AI laws, OpenAI fights them

Here's where it gets more interesting than "both companies pay lobbyists" — they're lobbying for close to opposite outcomes. Anthropic publicly endorsed California's SB 53, which requires developers of frontier models to publish risk-management plans, undergo independent evaluation, and report critical incidents within 15 days — or 24 hours if public safety is at risk. OpenAI and Google haven't directly opposed the law, but they've pushed hard for federal preemption — a single national standard that would override the patchwork of state rules, Brookings explains.

Anthropic's logic is straightforward: the company already largely complies with SB 53 through its own Responsible Scaling Policy, so tougher state laws reinforce its "safety-first" brand rather than undercut it. OpenAI's product footprint is broader and its regulatory surface bigger — one federal rulebook is cheaper to comply with than fifty different state versions.

Still small change next to Big Tech

Against the industry's heavyweights, both AI startups still look modest: the five biggest tech spenders — Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia — spent a combined $21.25 million on lobbying in Q2, nearly seven times what Anthropic and OpenAI spent together. But on growth rate, the AI companies stand out: Anthropic has already overtaken Nvidia's lobbying spend and is closing in on Oracle's $2 million, while OpenAI sits just below Nvidia's $1.25 million, Yahoo Finance notes.

Why now

The AI industry is under growing scrutiny in Washington, with proposals ranging from voluntary model certification to the government taking equity stakes in AI companies. The President has already signed an order requiring a voluntary 30-day government review of models before launch — exactly the kind of rule that could directly delay future Claude releases. Combined, Anthropic and OpenAI's lobbying spending has roughly doubled year over year, Issue One calculates.

Here's what that actually changes: an industry that until recently sold itself as fundamentally new, playing by different rules, is behaving in Washington in a thoroughly old-fashioned way — hiring the same lobbyists, walking the same hallways as pharmaceutical and defense companies before it. The only real difference is speed: Anthropic went from barely registering in Washington to lobbying the Treasury Department in a little over two years.

The open question for the rest of the year isn't whether this growth slows down — it's what it turns into: a defensive presence against other people's bills, or a tool for writing its own.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.