Anthropic and Gov. Newsom forge deal allowing California government to use Claude at half price

Anthropic has reached an agreement with California Gov. Gavin Newsom to let state government agencies use Claude at half price. The deal deepens Anthropic’s ties with California even as the company faces growing friction with the federal government.

The partnership shows how AI companies are courting state governments as major public-sector customers, not just federal agencies. It also highlights a widening split in AI policy dynamics, where state-level adoption may accelerate even when national political relationships become more contentious.