TechCrunch Industry News ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal; plus, Stripe wants to turn your AI costs into a profit center
Mar 3, 2026
News of a defense contract triggered a huge spike in ChatGPT uninstalls and a wave of one-star reviews. Claude’s downloads climbed as Anthropic publicly rejected a DoD partnership on safety grounds. Stripe unveiled tools to track LLM token usage and let startups add automatic markups to turn model fees into revenue.
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DoD Deal Caused Mass Uninstalls And Rating Collapse
- ChatGPT's DoD deal triggered a major consumer backlash with uninstall spikes and rating drops.
- SensorTower reported a 295% jump in U.S. uninstalls and a 775% surge in one-star reviews after the news went public.
Anthropic's Rejection Drove Claude's Rapid Adoption
- Anthropic's clear stance against a DoD partnership attracted users and downloads to Claude.
- Claude's U.S. downloads rose 37–88% day-over and it hit number one on the U.S. App Store after rejecting the deal.
Stripe Automates Passing AI Token Costs With Markup
- Stripe previewed billing that automates passing model token costs to customers and lets startups add a percentage markup.
- Startups can pick models, track API prices and automatically apply a consistent profit margin like 30% over raw token costs.