Anthropic to Allocate 5% Stake to Public Benefit Fund

Anthropic, the company behind AI chatbot Claude, has announced plans to allocate 5% of its shares to a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, subject to stockholder approval.

The fund may receive an additional 2% stake for every 50% increase in Anthropic’s value above a set baseline. The additional allocation will be at the board’s discretion.

Structured as a wholly owned limited liability company (LLC), the fund is intended to support public-benefit initiatives through large donations to nonprofits and direct distributions to specific groups. Anthropic said the structure would provide flexibility in how the funds are deployed.

One area of focus could be the impact of artificial intelligence on employment. Anthropic has already committed USD 200 million to studying and addressing AI’s effects on the labour market, as the technology could create economic value while also disrupting jobs.

The company said the equity held by the fund would not be used for lobbying or political contributions in the US or abroad.

The new fund builds on existing equity donation commitments by Anthropic’s founders and employees. The founders pledged to donate 80% of their equity holdings when the company was established. Anthropic also operates an employee equity donation-matching programme, in which approximately half of its employees participate.

Combined with the new fund, around 20% of Anthropic’s shares will be dedicated to public benefit, excluding any additional allocations linked to future valuation milestones.

Anthropic said it would share further details about the fund’s governance and structure, including the valuation thresholds for additional share allocations, in the coming months. It also plans to publish a report on its progress towards its mission.