Anthropic Founders Reportedly Pledge to Give Away 80% of Equity as AI Lab Targets $2 Trillion Valuation — Here’s the Catch
I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.Anthropic's seven co-founders have pledged to donate 80% of their personal equity to charity as the AI lab targets a $2 trillion valuation. Despite this significant charitable commitment, the founders will retain control through a new 'Founder LLC' holding Class F stock with 50.1% voting power. This move aligns with CEO Dario Amodei’s advocacy for slower AI development, contrasting with political figures like Donald Trump who support continued rapid progress.
Anthropic‘s seven co-founders have pledged to donate 80% of their personal equity in the company to charitable causes, according to its IPO filing, as the artificial intelligence lab eyes a valuation of more than $2 trillion.
Founders Pledge Bulk of Equity to Charity
The company, which bets that AI will transform the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity, or the internet, described its mission as “to benefit humanity through responsible AI,” according to a prospectus seen by Reuters.
The commitment covers CEO Dario Amodei, his sister and President Daniela Amodei, and the company’s five other co-founders.
Amodei made nearly $18 million in 2025, largely through stock and option awards, while his sister was the company’s second-highest-paid executive at $16.4 million.
Anthropic did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for the details of its IPO prospectus.
Earlier this year, Anthropic donated $20 million to Public First Action, and in July announced another $20 million contribution, bringing its total support for the bipartisan AI-policy group to $40 million.
Read Also: OpenAI GPT-6.1 Astra Reportedly Pulled After Safety Tests Show it Could Evade Human Oversight: 'We Have an Extremely High Bar'
Founders Retain Control Through New LLC
Anthropic is creating a “Founder LLC” made up of its seven co-founders, who the filing says are “distinctly equipped to be stewards of our mission.”
The group will direct a single share of Class F stock, giving it 50.1% of total voting power over key corporate matters and keeping control concentrated.
Amodei’s Push for a Slower AI Race
Earlier this month, Amodei pushed for slowing the pace of AI development, a call that drew support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. CEO Elon Musk, while also raising concerns about China’s role in the global AI race.
President Donald Trump called the push for slower AI a “globalist scheme” and said the U.S. would continue to support AI’s progress rather than “rein it in.”
The safety debate comes as security researchers recently used Claude to breach OpenAI’s internal systems, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Read Also: Trump's AI Lunch Will Bring Together Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Other Tech Bigwigs: Here's Who Else Is Invited
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock