Tech Firms Rally for Open-Weight AI as U.S. Policy Debates Emerge

More than 20 tech companies, including A16z, Dell, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia and Palantir, signed onto a letter urging the White House to preserve access to open-weight AI models, arguing bans would stifle competition and push users toward Chinese systems; they say open-weight models boost small businesses and that safety concerns should be addressed with targeted rules rather than broad restrictions. The administration is weighing a ban amid concerns over Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 and alleged distillation attacks, sparking pushback from startups and calls for guardrails instead of sweeping prohibitions.