Ex-DOGE Startup Cathedral Says It Breached Anthropic in Under 12 Hours

By Olivia Hart

A cybersecurity startup staffed by former DOGE operatives says it broke into Anthropic's internal data and messaging systems in less than 12 hours. Cathedral, valued at $1.4 billion after a $160 million July funding round backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, attributes the breach to vulnerabilities in ordinary business software — not in Anthropic's own code.

The claim deserves scrutiny, and Anthropic's account complicates the headline. In short: the breach appears real, but the "12 hours" framing omits days of failed direct attacks.

What did Cathedral actually access?

According to Cathedral, the compromised material included:

• Meeting transcripts
• Salary information
• Job offers
• Slack messages discussing Anthropic's AI models

Anthropic runs a program inviting outside security firms to test its systems, which places the incident in white-hat territory. The company confirmed Cathedral accessed "a limited set" of its systems and said it has since shut down those access points. That phrasing — "limited set" — leaves unclear how sensitive the exposed Slack discussions actually were.

"The fact that weaknesses in ordinary enterprise software can compromise the infrastructure of even the most advanced organizations should be a wake-up call for every company in America," Cathedral's report read, according to the Washington Post.

The caveat matters here: Cathedral sells AI-driven cybersecurity with a military focus. A splashy breach of a high-profile target doubles as marketing.

How long did the hack really take?

Anthropic's counter-narrative undercuts the 12-hour claim. The company said Cathedral spent multiple days trying and failing to break into its software directly before pivoting to third-party business tools. So the successful vector was fast — but only after days of unsuccessful work against the primary target.

Cathedral has not publicly disputed that timeline, at least not in the reported materials. Take the 12-hour figure as the duration of the final approach, not the whole operation.

Why is Washington worried?

The breach has drawn attention in the capital. One unnamed official told the Washington Post: "If a bunch of kids who have just started a company can do this, then potentially, the Chinese aren't far behind."

The official's logic is straightforward: if a young startup can reach internal communications at one of the country's most advanced AI labs through commodity business software, a state actor with far greater resources presumably can too.

What is Cathedral's relationship with Trump?

The founders' backgrounds sharpen the story's political edge. Cathedral is run by former DOGE staffers Gavin Kliger, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, and Jack Stein. Kliger previously served as the Pentagon's chief data officer and was reportedly involved in the department's conflict with Anthropic.

Ezel resigned from DOGE after he was linked to tweets containing phrases such as "normalize Indian hate," "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity," and "Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool." Elon Musk rehired him despite the controversy.

Cathedral is reportedly building AI software it hopes to sell to the Pentagon, designed to strengthen the military's offensive and defensive cybersecurity capabilities against adversaries such as China. Reuters reports the company is also looking to acquire a data center or partner with one for dedicated computing power.

A company founded by Trump-aligned ex-officials demonstrating a breach of a Trump administration adversary invites questions about motive. Cathedral framed the operation through its bug-bounty-style program with Anthropic, and Anthropic has not alleged wrongdoing.

How does this fit Anthropic's political fight?

Anthropic's relationship with the Trump administration has been hostile for months. Trump called Anthropic a "radical left, woke company" earlier this year and ordered all federal agencies to cut ties and stop using its products. The Pentagon designated the company a "supply-chain risk," prompting a lawsuit from Anthropic.

In its S-1 filing ahead of its IPO, Anthropic warned investors directly: "The political environment and our engagement with policymakers and public positions on AI regulation and safety could subject us to heightened scrutiny, political backlash, or disproportionate regulatory action."

A publicized breach by ex-administration operatives will not ease that pressure.

What could slow Cathedral down?

The midterms are the operative risk. Should Democrats regain control of the House or Senate, they could closely scrutinize contracts awarded to companies run by founders with close Trump ties, potentially slowing Cathedral's push into Pentagon work.

For now, Cathedral holds a $1.4 billion valuation, a marquee breach claim, and a defense-market ambition that depends heavily on which party controls Congress after November.