Anthropic Says Claude Paid Subscriptions Have More Than Doubled in 2026 Amid DoD Feud and Super Bowl Ads

Anthropic confirmed to TechCrunch that Claude paid subscriptions have more than doubled this year, with credit card transaction data from 28 million US consumers showing record new subscriber growth between January and February, driven by a combination of viral Super Bowl ads mocking ChatGPT, widespread coverage of Anthropic's public feud with the Department of Defense over military AI use, and the launches of Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and the new Computer Use feature. The majority of new subscribers are signing up at the $20/month Pro tier, and data through early March confirms growth is continuing, though Claude remains well behind ChatGPT in total paid consumer subscribers. Notably, OpenAI saw an immediate spike in uninstalls after announcing its own DoD deal, which stood in direct contrast to Anthropic's refusal to allow its models to be used for lethal autonomous operations or mass surveillance of US citizens.