September 19, 2026 — Buist et al. v. Anthropic PBC et al. (N.D. Cal. 3:26-cv-10693) alleges OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and SpaceXAI violated Sherman Act Section 1 by agreeing to slow AI development, reducing paid subscription value.
Plaintiffs tie coordination to September 12, 2026 when Dario Amodei published “We Must Pace the Frontier” and CEOs Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Demis Hassabis publicly endorsed it.
Amodei acknowledged antitrust challenges in his essay, suggesting government mediation or a narrow waiver for safety conversations. OpenAI’s Chris Lehane said firms could work together without waiting for legislation.
Plaintiffs seek class certification, injunction, and treble damages. Allegations are unproven.