Anthropic said on 18 October that it will commit 5% of its shares to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new entity set up to give money away for the public good. The commitment still needs stockholder approval.
The stake can grow. Anthropic’s board may add a further 2% of shares for every 50% rise in the company’s value above a set baseline, which the company has not published.
The fund is a wholly owned company rather than a charity, which Anthropic says gives it room to fund nonprofits or make direct payments to groups of people. One area it names is the effect of AI on the labour market, where it has already committed $200 million through a separate effort. None of the fund’s equity can be used for lobbying or political giving, in the US or elsewhere.
Counting earlier pledges, including the co-founders’ promise to donate 80% of their equity and an employee donation match, Anthropic says about 20% of its shares are now dedicated to the public good.
As AI companies grow in value, how much of that value flows back to the public is becoming part of the debate about the industry. Anthropic says governance details and milestones will follow in the coming months.
Read the announcement: Investing in the public benefit