Anthropic founders seek combined voting control ahead of IPO
AI company Anthropic is asking shareholders to approve a structure giving its seven co-founders a combined 50.1% voting control after the company goes public. The move precedes an expected IPO that could value the firm at $1.5 trillion.
Anthropic is preparing to ask shareholders to approve a voting structure that would let CEO Dario Amodei and his six co-founders retain control of the company once it goes public. According to The Information, the proposal is expected to be put forward within days.
Under the plan, the seven co-founders would receive special shares carrying a combined 50.1% of the vote on most corporate matters, contingent on at least three of them maintaining a minimum ownership stake.
A familiar mechanism, an unusual approach
Super-voting shares are not a new concept — similar arrangements have let Mark Zuckerberg retain control of Meta and Evan Spiegel maintain his hold on Snap. What sets Anthropic's plan apart is that control would rest with a group rather than a single individual.
Each of the seven founders, including Amodei, reportedly owns around 2% of the company. All have pledged to give away 80% of their wealth, a commitment Amodei announced in January alongside a warning that AI-driven wealth concentration could destabilize society. The new shares would carry no additional economic value — only voting control.
The structure includes other provisions as well: Anthropic's Long-Term Benefit Trust would continue choosing most board members, the founders' board seats would increase from two to three, and employees would receive their own stock allowing them to break ties on certain issues.
Five-year-old Anthropic was valued at $965 billion in May, and has since been valued at $1.5 trillion on the secondary market. Its upcoming initial public offering is expected to reflect that higher valuation.
