Analysis: US Government Restrictions on Foreign Nationals Accessing Anthropic's Latest Model Could Impact Its IPO Outlook

June 13 — According to a report from Fortune, Anthropic has completely shut down access to its latest AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The move follows the U.S. Department of Commerce invoking national security export control rules to bar the firm from granting access to any foreign national. The order applies not only to people outside the U.S., but also to non-U.S. citizens residing within the country, plus Anthropic’s own non-U.S. national employees. Anthropic said the directive’s broad scope left it with no other option than disabling access to those models for all users. However, less powerful models like Claude Opus 4.8 remain unaffected. The policy has sparked fierce pushback across the AI industry and among policy experts. Some frame it as another punitive step from the Trump administration against Anthropic. The Trump White House had earlier ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s models and labeled the company a "supply chain risk." AI policy expert Dean Ball noted it’s unclear if this is a legal showdown targeting Anthropic or an extreme national security hawkish stance — but either way, it’s absurd. Critics argue Anthropic is facing consequences from its own security-focused messaging. Cybersecurity researcher Peter Girnus points out that if a company hypes its products as military-grade hardware in every press release, the government will eventually treat it exactly that way. He believes Anthropic itself set the legal precedent, building that narrative right into its brand identity. AI industry critic Gary Marcus called the government’s actions illogical. He warns the move could push Chinese-born AI researchers at labs like Anthropic and OpenAI to return to China, while also making investors question whether U.S. AI companies are still a safe bet. Earlier this month, Anthropic quietly filed for an initial public offering (IPO), with its valuation hitting $965 billion in a recent funding round. The export control decision could dim investor excitement for the IPO, fueling concerns about whether the company can stay at the cutting edge of AI model development if the government keeps slapping restrictions on Anthropic’s models. Some even speculate that people worried about AI’s existential risks might actually welcome this move, as it could potentially slow the pace of AI advancement.