I just noticed something interesting in the app download trends over the past few days. On February 28th, ChatGPT experienced a massive drop in downloads after announcing its partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. According to data, uninstallation spiked 295%, compared to the daily average of around 9%. That is, literally thousands of users decided to delete the app within hours.

What surprises me most is how quickly the landscape changed. Claude, the model from Anthropic, skyrocketed during the same period. Its downloads increased 37% on February 27th and 51% the next day, precisely because Anthropic publicly rejected any military collaboration. People massively migrated to Claude, which is now at the top of the App Store.

Basically, we saw a chain reaction: massive uninstallation of ChatGPT due to ethical concerns, an increase in negative reviews, and at the same time, Claude gaining ground because it took the opposite stance. It’s a reminder that users do care about where the money is and who these companies work with. The shift in preferences was instant.