Former Trump Adviser Tells Anthropic CEO To 'Step Aside’ Or Explain How He'll Make AI Safe Amid Growing Doomerism

• David Sacks says AI companies, not regulators, bear primary responsibility for controlling frontier models.
• Trump allies warn that slowing AI development could hand China a strategic advantage.
• Anthropic’s safety debate adds uncertainty ahead of its expected IPO process.

David Sacks, a former technology adviser to President Donald Trump, called on Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to step down if he cannot manage the risks posed by the frontier AI systems his company is developing.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that you’re running a Frontier AI company if you think Frontier AI is going to end humanity,” Sacks told CBS News on Monday, arguing that Amodei should either explain how Anthropic can make advanced AI safe or “step aside and let someone else lead it.”

The comments put one of the leading AI safety advocates directly in Sacks’ crosshairs as concerns mount over whether increasingly capable AI models could eventually become uncontrollable and pose catastrophic risks to humanity.

Sacks Challenges Anthropic’s AI Warning

Sacks said the responsibility for making AI safe lies primarily with companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, rather than the government.

“If you can’t control it, then don’t do it,” Sacks said. He added that AI companies should not make the public afraid that they are unable to control the technology they are building.

Over the weekend, Amodei called on AI labs to slow development of frontier AI systems, warning that their growth is outpacing safety controls. His views were broadly backed by SpaceX’s Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. 

The debate picked up last week after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned, warning that the AI race could threaten humanity by decade-end. The concerns follow security breaches in which AI models bypassed developer safeguards. 

U.S. President Donald Trump has nevertheless urged firms to continue AI development as the status quo, arguing that the U.S. must maintain its lead over China. Sacks agreed, saying that fears around AI are becoming excessive.

“I think this is becoming a panic,” he said, arguing that political actors have an incentive to amplify AI fears during an election season and calling for a more rational assessment of the risks.

AI Doomsday Debate Intensifies

The clash comes amid growing warnings that frontier AI could eventually cause severe harm to humanity.

Some Anthropic staff have come out in support of Coxon, publicly acknowledging the possibility of an AI-driven catastrophe. Meanwhile, Altman and other technology leaders have said the industry should proceed with greater caution.

Sacks Warns Against Giving China An Edge

Sacks also argued that slowing frontier AI development could undermine the U.S.’s competitive position against China.

“If we just pause all development, they will race ahead,” he said, noting that China is unlikely to halt its own AI efforts.

President Trump has similarly rejected calls for stronger AI guardrails, saying the industry is already sufficiently regulated.

Anthropic IPO Watch

The debate creates an unusual backdrop for Anthropic’s IPO, with investors now having to assess not only the company’s extraordinary growth and spending on AI infrastructure but also how a potential slowdown could affect future revenue and costs.

Potential regulatory scrutiny and a slower development cycle could reduce the billions of dollars required to train increasingly powerful models, but it could also give rivals an opportunity to narrow Anthropic’s lead.

Anthropic is expected to launch its IPO process later this month or in October, according to reports.

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