Artificial intelligence company Anthropic said it will commit 5 percent of its shares to a new fund dedicated to the public good, with the stake set to increase as the firm’s valuation grows.
The creator of the Claude AI assistant announced the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund on Sunday, subject to stockholder approval. An additional 2 percent of shares may be added at the board’s discretion for every 50 percent rise in the company’s value above a set baseline.
“Because of the way the Fund is structured, the more Anthropic grows, the larger the share of the company that can be dedicated expressly to the public good,” the San Francisco-based firm said in a blog post.
“It is common practice for tech companies to offer escalating compensation awards to their executives. We are instead directing that equity to the public benefit.”
The fund could be used for donations to traditional nonprofits as well as “direct distributions to specific populations.” Anthropic cited potential labour market disruption caused by AI as one area it might address.
“Anthropic has already committed $200 million to studying and addressing this issue, but given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed,” the company said. “The Fund will have the versatility to pursue them.”
The fund, structured as a wholly owned limited liability company, will not be used for lobbying or political donations in the United States or abroad.
Anthropic, registered as a public benefit corporation in Delaware, said the new commitment builds on existing pledges. Combined with its co-founders’ commitment to donate 80 percent of their equity and an employee equity donation matching programme, roughly 20 percent of the company’s shares will be dedicated to public purposes.
The announcement comes as Anthropic prepares for a potential stock market listing expected before the end of 2026, with analysts forecasting a valuation exceeding $2 trillion.
