Claude hits outages as ChatGPT exodus swells

The "ChatGPT Exodus" is a rare, ideologically driven user migration that has turned Anthropic’s principled stance into a massive infrastructure liability.

• –Over 2.5 million users have reportedly pledged to leave ChatGPT due to OpenAI’s deal with the U.S. Department of Defense.
• –Claude’s reliability plummeted under the strain, including a critical four-hour disruption that left users stranded during peak hours.
• –Anthropic’s refusal to support mass surveillance has successfully positioned it as the "ethical" choice, but being #1 on the App Store is a hollow victory if the service is unusable.
• –This moment proves that while users value safety and ethics, they prioritize availability; continued outages risk permanently branding Claude as the unstable alternative.