Krux
March 5, 2026
ChatGPT Uninstalls Jump 295% After Pentagon Deal
Published: March 5, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Updated: March 5, 2026 at 12:43 AM
100-word summary
ChatGPT's US mobile app uninstalls surged 295% on February 28, the day OpenAI's Department of Defense partnership went public. One-star reviews jumped 775%. Users didn't just rage-quit: they switched teams. Claude downloads rose 51% the same day and hit number one among free iPhone apps in the US, overtaking ChatGPT for the first time. The exodus handed Anthropic top spots in six other countries, including Canada and Germany. ChatGPT's typical uninstall rate hovers around 9% daily. Turns out military contracts are a harder sell than chatbot features when the delete button is one tap away.
What happened
ChatGPT's US mobile app uninstalls surged 295% on February 28, the day OpenAI's Department of Defense partnership went public. One-star reviews jumped 775%. Users didn't just rage-quit: they switched teams. Claude downloads rose 51% the same day and hit number one among free iPhone apps in the US, overtaking ChatGPT for the first time. The exodus handed Anthropic top spots in six other countries, including Canada and Germany. ChatGPT's typical uninstall rate hovers around 9% daily.
Why it matters
Turns out military contracts are a harder sell than chatbot features when the delete button is one tap away.