The entire saga was a calculated performance. On the same day Sam Altman publicly supported Dario Amodei, he was secretly negotiating a deal to acquire Anthropic's business. According to The New York Times, Altman had been working on this acquisition since Wednesday - before announcing support for Dario, before Trump denounced Anthropic, but after Greg Brockman donated $25 million to Trump's PAC.

This wasn't just bad timing; it was theatrical manipulation. The government rejected Anthropic's terms only to permanently banish them as a supply chain risk, then handed the contract to someone offering similar terms who happened to donate more. Anthropic deserves exactly the same terms as any competitor - anything else reeks of corruption.

The author acknowledges being no fan of Amodei, citing overhype and the $1.5 billion settlement for using writers' work without permission. Yet even critics recognize this wasn't fair play. In capitalism, markets decide. In oligarchy, connections and donations decide. The evidence suggests America is transitioning from one system to the other.