Ramp data shows Anthropic has overtaken OpenAI in business adoption, and the same pattern that followed the March DoD designation suggests the latest model ban could strengthen rather than damage that position.
- Anthropic surpassed OpenAI in business spending share for the first time in May, according to Ramp data covering more than 70,000 companies.
- Anthropic’s AI subscription share reached 41% in May, up 2.5 percentage points, while OpenAI held 39.5%, essentially flat.
- The Trump administration forced Anthropic to pull Fable 5 and Mythos 5 off the market, but Ramp’s lead economist says the ban may boost rather than hurt adoption.
- Most business spending goes toward Anthropic’s Opus models, which remain fully available despite the ban on its newest releases.
What Happened
Anthropic surpassed OpenAI in business spending share for the first time in May, even as the Trump administration forced its two newest models off the market.
Corporate card platform Ramp, which tracks AI spending across more than 70,000 businesses, reported Anthropic’s share of AI subscriptions paid by businesses reached 41% in May, up 2.5 percentage points. OpenAI held 39.5%, essentially flat from the prior month.
The government action came after the Trump administration sent a letter demanding Anthropic restrict non-Americans, including its own employees, from accessing Fable 5 and Mythos 5 under an export control directive.
Government friction is not new for Anthropic. In March, the Trump administration labeled the company a supply-chain risk after it refused to allow its models to be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.
Why It Matters
For SaaS teams evaluating AI vendors, the Ramp data signals that Anthropic has moved from underdog to market leader in business adoption, a shift that Relve, an AI trends intelligence platform, has been tracking closely. The model ban does not appear to be slowing that momentum, since most business spending goes toward Anthropic’s Opus models, which remain fully available.
The bigger risk is the IPO, not the ban itself, since public markets tend to be cautious about companies with ongoing government disputes. Anthropic filed confidential IPO paperwork at the end of May, after closing a $65 billion raise at a $965 billion valuation.
Anthropic’s best month on record, as far as business adoption, was the month that the Department of Defense labeled them a supply-chain risk. There’s a lot of aura that comes with your model specifically being named too dangerous to use. Ara Kharazian, Lead Economist, Ramp
Bottom Line
The signal to watch is how the IPO process unfolds. Anthropic’s business numbers are strong, but any further government action could complicate the S-1 filing and investor roadshow.
For SaaS founders currently evaluating Claude, the Opus models are not going anywhere and adoption is growing. The ban applies only to Fable 5 and Mythos 5, so existing workflows built on Claude are not at risk.
