Dario Amodei said Thursday that Anthropic plans to challenge the Defense Department’s decision to label the AI firm a supply chain risk in court, a designation he has called “legally unsound.”

The statement comes a few hours after the Department officially designated Anthropic a supply chain risk following a weeks-long dispute over how much control the military should have over AI systems. A supply chain risk designation can bar a company from working with the Pentagon and its contractors. Amodei drew a firm line that Anthropic’s AI should not be used for mass surveillance of Americans or for fully autonomous weapons, but the Pentagon believed it should have unrestricted access for “all lawful purposes.”

In his statement, Amodei said the vast majority of Anthropic’s customers are unaffected by the supply chain risk designation.

“With respect to our customers, it plainly applies only to the use of Claude by customers as a direct part of contracts with the Department of War, not all use of Claude by customers who have such contracts,” he said.

As a preview of what Anthropic will likely argue in court, Amodei said the Department’s letter labeling the firm a supply chain risk is narrow in scope.

“It exists to protect the government rather than to punish a supplier; in fact, the law requires the Secretary of War to use the least restrictive means necessary to accomplish the goal of protecting the supply chain,” Amodei said. “Even for Department of War contractors, the supply chain risk designation doesn’t (and can’t) limit uses of Claude or business relationships with Anthropic if those are unrelated to their specific Department of War contracts.”

Amodei reiterated that Anthropic had been having productive conversations with the Department over the last several days, conversations that some suspect got derailed when an internal memo he sent to staff was leaked. In it, Amdodei characterized rival OpenAI’s dealings with the Department of Defense as “safety theater.”

OpenAI has signed a deal to work with the Defense Department in Anthropic’s place, a move that has sparked backlash among OpenAI staff.

Amodei apologized for the leak in his Thursday statement, claiming that the company did not intentionally share the memo or direct anyone else to do so. “It is not in our interest to escalate the situation,” he said.

Amodei said the memo was written within “a few hours” of a series of announcements, including a presidential Truth Social post saying Anthropic would be removed from federal systems, then Defense Secretary Hegseth’s supply chain risk designation, and finally the Pentagon’s deal announcement with OpenAI. He apologized for the tone, calling it “a difficult day for the company” and said the memo didn’t reflect his “careful or considered views.” Written six days ago, he added, it’s now an “out-of-date assessment.”

He finished by saying Anthropic’s top priority is to ensure American soldiers and national security experts maintain access to important tools in the middle of ongoing major combat operations. Anthropic is currently supporting some of the U.S.’s operations in Iran, and Amodei said the company would continue to provide its models to the Defense Department at “nominal cost” for “as long as necessary to make that transition.”

Anthropic could challenge the desingation in federal court, likely in Washington, but the law behind the decision makes it harder to contest because it limits the usual ways companies can challenge government procurement decisions and gives the Pentagon broad discretion on national security matters.

Or as Dean Ball — a former Trump-era White House advisor on AI who has spoken out against Hegseth’s treatment of Anthropic — put it: “Courts are pretty reluctant to second-guess the government on what is and is not a national security issue…There’s a very high bar that one needs to clear in order to do that. But it’s not impossible.”

Google has added a share item location feature to Find Hub that generates a secure, encrypted link to a lost bag’s real-time position and lets travellers pass it directly to a participating airline, giving carriers the location data they need to recover missing luggage faster than existing baggage tracing methods allow.

The update addresses a persistent gap in the tracker tag experience, where passengers could see exactly where a missing bag sat on a map but had no direct channel to share that information with airline staff.

Thanks to all our AI usage, it’s no secret that smartphones are getting more expensive. It’s interesting to see how brands are coping with increased costs, and who better to observe than OPPO. The company is preparing to expand its popular K-series lineup in India with the launch of the OPPO K14 5G, which the company has confirmed will debut on March 9, 2026. Last year’s K13x was a pretty well-balanced phone across the board, and OPPO is promising the same for this year, too. Here’s everything you need to know.

Performance & Battery Take the Center Stage

This year, the biggest highlight of the OPPO K14 5G is its massive 7000mAh battery, designed to support extended use without frequent charging. The device also supports 45W fast charging, allowing users to top up the battery quickly when needed. In addition, the phone includes reverse charging, enabling it to power other devices in emergencies. OPPO says the battery system has been engineered to maintain stable battery health for up to five years, aligning with the phone’s focus on long-term reliability.

While the exact processor specs aren’t known, the K14 5G will include an advanced SuperCool VC thermal system. The cooling setup features a large 3900 mm² vapor chamber, combined with expanded graphite layers, to improve heat dissipation during prolonged use. OPPO says the internal layout has been optimized using gamer hand models, which helped engineers identify high-contact areas during landscape gaming.

In terms of optics, the OPPO K14 5G will feature a 50MP primary camera, supported by AI-powered imaging features that automatically adjust scene settings, colors, and exposure to deliver more balanced results. Though we have yet to test these claims against real-world challenges. The phone will run ColorOS 15, which includes OPPO’s system-level rendering architecture and multi-rendering scheduling technology aimed at keeping the camera experience smooth and responsive

All-in-one PCs have always been special, simply because they promise the size of a desktop without the headaches associated with it. Now, Asus has expanded its desktop lineup in India with the launch of the ASUS V501 desktop series and the AiO V400 all-in-one PCs. The new lineup includes the ASUS V501MV Mini Tower with a 15L chassis and the V501SV Small Form Factor model with a compact 9L design. Alongside these, ASUS also introduced the AiO V400 series, which includes the V440 and V470 models designed for clutter-free home setups. Here’s what you need to know.

ASUS V501 Desktop Series for Work and Small Businesses

The ASUS V501 series is built primarily for SOHOs, startups, studios, and small organizations that require reliable daily performance for tasks like accounting, documentation, online meetings, and light creative workloads. The desktops are powered by up to Intel Core 7 240H processors and support up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM, offering enough power for multitasking and productivity-focused workloads.

ASUS says the system is designed for long working hours, thanks to an advanced thermal setup with copper heat pipes. The desktop also runs quietly, with noise levels as low as 38dB under load, making it suitable for office environments and client-facing spaces. Other highlights include fast SSD storage and an 80+ Bronze-certified power supply, which aims to deliver improved energy efficiency for businesses running systems throughout the day.

The ASUS V501MV and V501SV desktops start at Rs 42,990 and will be available from March 16 via ASUS Exclusive Stores, the ASUS eShop, Amazon, Flipkart, and authorized retail partners.

ASUS AiO V400 Series for Homes and Hybrid Work

On the flip side, ASUS introduced the AiO V400 series, which focuses on home users and compact living spaces. The lineup includes the ASUS V440 and V470 AiO PCs, both designed to offer a streamlined all-in-one setup that reduces desk clutter while still delivering reliable performance for everyday tasks. Powered by up to Intel Core 3 processors, the AiO V400 series supports up to 8GB DDR5 RAM and SSD storage, making it suitable for web browsing, streaming, online learning, video calls, and productivity work.

One notable feature is support for HDMI In and HDMI Out, which allows the AiO PC to function as both a standalone computer and a monitor when needed. The ASUS V470 AiO starts at Rs 71,990 and is available via ASUS Exclusive Stores, Croma, the ASUS eShop, Amazon, and other authorized retailers. The V440 model will go on sale starting April 14.

Canvas, the AI planning tool from Google Search, has rolled out across the US, the company said Wednesday. Canvas is essentially a project planning tool with a range of uses, including trip planning. You can select the tool directly from the AI Mode screen at the top of the Google Search results page. 

The tool is integrated into AI Mode and can be used on both desktop and mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. However, because Canvas opens a second screen beside the main chat window, it’s a little trickier to see on a smartphone. You’ll have to toggle between the screens. 

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Going anywhere? Maybe college?

Planning trips is one of Canvas’s main functions, with the ability to view and account for flights, hotels and other relevant information in real time. 

“Canvas makes it easy to build travel plans customized for your specific needs — bringing together real-time Search data for flights and hotels, details from Google Maps like photos and reviews, and relevant information from sites across the web,” a Google spokesperson told CNET. 

Google also notes you can use Canvas as an academic scholarship tracker, which includes dollar amounts and deadlines. 

Project planning with AI

Once you’re in the AI Mode screen on Google, you can select the Canvas option from the plus sign that appears on the left side of the box where you type.

Clicking the Canvas button opens the project in a side panel. From there, you can refine the project with the standard chat prompts. You can even look at the underlying code and adjust the Canvas window’s user interface, such as switching to dark mode. 

Rose Yao, vice president of product for Google Search, posted a thread on X on Wednesday, sharing a video of a summer camp project for her kids. Canvas created an interactive dashboard that sorts camp options by cost, distance and focus.

“We’re adding support for coding & creative writing tasks, so you can bring even more ideas to life with custom dashboards or interactive tools,” Yao wrote in the post. 

Google first announced Canvas for AI Mode in July 2025, and later that year, expanded Canvas’s travel features.

There’s no word yet from Google on when Canvas will expand into other languages and other countries. 

For more than a decade, Drop, born as Massdrop in 2012, was one of the most important community-driven marketplaces in enthusiast tech. It wasn’t just another storefront. It was where headphone obsessives, keyboard nerds, and gear junkies pooled their buying power to will products into existence. Some of the most talked-about collaborations in personal audio came out of that model, including limited-run headphones with brands like Sennheiser that delivered genuine performance at prices the traditional retail channel couldn’t touch.

That chapter is now closing.

Following its 2023 acquisition by Corsair, Drop has confirmed it will cease operating as a standalone e-commerce store. The final day to place orders on Drop.com is March 25, with the site officially transitioning away from direct retail on March 31. Going forward, Drop.com will function as a brand and collaboration hub inside the broader Corsair ecosystem, spotlighting licensed partnerships tied to franchises like The Lord of the Rings, Cyberpunk 2077, and Fallout Nuka Cola.

On paper, this is an “evolution.” In practice, it marks the end of the Massdrop model; the community voting, the group buys, the feeling that enthusiasts were steering the ship. And if you’ve spent any time in the forums or comment sections this week, it’s clear the reaction isn’t nostalgic gratitude. It’s frustration. For many longtime members, the independent storefront wasn’t just a place to shop. It was the point.

What the Shutdown Means for Orders, Rewards, Warranties, and Future Availability

Drop’s transition away from operating as a standalone ecommerce store comes with some important deadlines and structural changes that customers need to understand.

The final day to place an order on Drop.com is March 25 at 11:59 PM PT. After that, direct purchasing through the site ends. The good news is that all existing orders, including preorders, will be fulfilled as previously scheduled. There is no disruption to shipments already in the system.

Drop Rewards, however, come with a hard stop. Any unused rewards must be redeemed by March 25. After that date, remaining balances will expire and will no longer be redeemable. If you have credits sitting in your account, this is the moment to use them.

As for products, this is not a complete disappearance. Many Drop designed items will continue to live on through Corsairand partner retail channels. That includes models like the CSTM80 and a range of licensed collaborations. The difference is where and how they are sold. Instead of a centralized community driven storefront, distribution shifts into the broader Corsair retail ecosystem.

Warranties remain intact. All existing product warranties will continue to be honored, and customer service and support will now route through Corsair.

Going forward, select Drop products will be available through Corsair.com as well as major retail partners such as Amazon and Best Buy. In practical terms, Drop transitions from being an independent marketplace powered by its community to becoming a collaboration and product label operating inside a much larger corporate framework.

The Bottom Line

Drop had a real run. At its peak, the platform reshaped how enthusiast audio products came to market. The Drop plus collaborations with Sennheiser, Dan Clark Audio, Meze Audio, HiFiMAN, Beyerdynamic, Koss, and Axel Grell delivered some of the most popular enthusiast headphones of the past decade. These were not gimmicks. Many were category defining products that offered serious performance at prices that disrupted the traditional retail model.

Now most of those headline products are sold out or permanently out of stock. The amplifiers and speakers are gone. The group buys are gone. The voting is gone. What remains is a brand being folded into the larger machinery of Corsairdistribution.

The products are not vanishing. The platform that built them is.

It is hard to imagine this new structure fostering the same level of risk taking or enthusiast driven innovation. Community driven product development does not scale easily inside a publicly traded hardware ecosystem. The backlash online is real. Longtime members feel betrayed. At the same time, once the acquisition happened in 2023, this trajectory was not exactly shocking. Consolidation tends to smooth edges. It rarely sharpens them.

For consumers, this is a loss. Drop lowered prices, pushed brands to experiment, and gave enthusiasts a voice that actually influenced final products. It was messy at times. It was also effective. Thirteen years is a respectable lifespan in ecommerce. It was a good run. But when growth, margins, and corporate alignment take priority, the community experiment is usually the first thing to go.

For more information: drop.com

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