Analysis: The cutting-edge AI market is becoming polarized into closed camps

Venture capitalist Tomasz Tunguz posted on X that the cutting-edge AI market is splitting into closed camps, with labs choosing partners, cutting off competitors, and rationing access to the strongest models. Salesforce selected Anthropic as its dedicated AI partner, making Claude the default model for the world's largest CRM and Slack.

OpenAI cut off its API access on November 12 after SpaceX acquired Cursor. Z.ai placed its flagship model under a security review after cumulative revenue exceeded $10 billion. Anthropic rationed Mythos 5 through Project Glasswing and restricted Fable to inference only in the United States. OpenAI first launched the GPT-5.6 variant to trusted partners.

Nvidia is investing in an open ecosystem, including $13 billion for Hugging Face, $7 billion for Poolside, and a $26 billion commitment to Nemotron. Tunguz stated that access, rather than price, has become the new scarcity at the forefront.