Emil Michael, a senior technology official at the Department of Defense, is back in the spotlight over the government’s ongoing battle with Anthropic. A newly released podcast provides detailed insights into his perspective on the dispute and revisits his experiences with Uber.
The interview, conducted by Joubin Mirzadegan from Kleiner Perkins, covered policy and personal history, recorded before the DoD’s feud with Anthropic reached its peak. Michael’s comments on leaving Uber and his lingering resentment were notably striking.
When asked if he was effectively shown the door alongside Travis Kalanick, Michael responded affirmatively. He resigned eight days before Kalanick amid a workplace investigation led by Eric Holder related to sexual harassment allegations, in which he was not implicated. The investigation suggested he be removed, followed by Kalanick’s departure due to shareholder pressure.
Michael’s bitterness lingers, particularly as he believes autonomous driving was Uber’s future, hindered by investors focused on short-term gains. Kalanick echoed similar sentiments at a summit, asserting Uber’s progress in autonomous tech was significant before its program was shut down. Uber’s self-driving unit was sold to Aurora in 2020, justifying cash burn and a distant tech horizon, while Waymo advanced significantly.
Despite setbacks, Kalanick initiated Atoms, a robotics company, and is investing in Pronto, targeting autonomous vehicle technology. Meanwhile, Michael’s new challenge with the DoD involves negotiations collapsing with Anthropic, a government-approved AI vendor. He argued against anthropic policy impositions, drawing parallels to Microsoft’s non-restrictive use of its software.
Michael cited concerns about China potentially misusing Anthropic’s technologies under civil-military fusion laws, posing competitive disadvantages to the DoD. He stressed the importance of helping the Department of War with optimal tools. The dispute, evolving into a legal battle, saw the Defense Secretary labeling Anthropic a supply-chain risk.
The government escalated by filing in court, arguing potential risks if Anthropic accessed war infrastructure. Anthropic contested with declarations against the government’s technical assertions. A court hearing is set for Tuesday in San Francisco.