Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and SpaceXAI sued over alleged illegal pact to slow AI development

A class-action antitrust lawsuit filed in California accuses Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and SpaceXAI of forming an illegal cartel to slow AI development. The suit alleges that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's September 12, 2026 essay calling for industry-wide pacing, endorsed by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Demis Hassabis, constitutes unlawful collusion. Plaintiffs argue this pact deprives paid subscribers of rapid product improvements, while defendants face political pushback against antitrust waivers.

Antitrust lawsuit against AI companies

• ▪Buist v. Anthropic PBC, the lawsuit filed on September 18, 2026, is led by Trial Lawyers for Justice representing four named plaintiffs seeking class-action status
• ▪Consumers filed an antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Anthropic PBC, OpenAI OPCO LLC, SpaceXAI, and Google LLC, alleging they formed an illegal pact to slow AI development.

Alleged coordination slowing AI progress

• ▪The lawsuit alleges that the AI companies' coordination began in July 2026, when high-ranking employees from several leading AI labs signed a statement acknowledging intense competitive pressure not to unilaterally slow development.
• ▪The class-action antitrust lawsuit Buist v. Anthropic PBC, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims that on September 12, 2026, SpaceXAI founder Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis publicly endorsed Dario Amodei's proposal to slow AI development
• ▪The plaintiffs in the lawsuit Buist v. Anthropic PBC allege that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei initiated an alleged conspiracy among Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and SpaceXAI on September 12, 2026, by publishing an essay titled "We Must Pace the Frontier" that called for industry-wide coordination to slow AI progress

Consumer harm from reduced value

• ▪The plaintiffs argue that the alleged coordination among the AI companies functions as an output-restricting cartel, violating Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
• ▪The four named plaintiffs in the lawsuit Buist v. Anthropic PBC, who subscribe to ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, or Gemini, allege they are overcharged and receive reduced product value because their paid services improve more slowly than a competitive market would produce

Antitrust waiver discussion

• ▪U.S. Senator Josh Hawley stated during a Senate hearing that he would not agree to grant the major AI companies an exemption from antitrust laws to collaborate, warning it could stifle competition.
• ▪OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated on social media that while OpenAI welcomes a federal safety framework, the company does not believe it needs to wait for an antitrust exemption or legislation to begin safety coordination.
• ▪In his September 12, 2026 essay, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei acknowledged potential antitrust challenges and suggested the U.S. government issue a narrow waiver for safety conversations to enable cross-lab discussions.

AI safety coordination history

• ▪The lawsuit notes that while recent conversations about pacing AI development stem from fears of AI escaping human control, industry leaders have long discussed developing shared standards to ensure safety.
• ▪President Donald Trump rejected calls for AI regulation on social media, claiming that efforts to limit the technology are a conspiracy that could drive American AI companies into bankruptcy.

Debatable claims

• ▪Coordinating to slow AI development violates federal antitrust laws
• ▪The US government should grant antitrust waivers for AI safety coordination
• ▪The US government should regulate artificial intelligence to slow its development