On Monday, Anthropic officially submitted its paperwork to go public, aiming for a valuation of up to $2 trillion. This anticipated IPO could create a new wave of mega-billionaires in California.
According to the S-1 filing, the San Francisco-based maker of Claude intends to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker “ANT.” The founders, numbering seven in total, stand to gain significantly from this lucrative public offering.
While Anthropic didn’t specify the pricing or the number of shares, Reuters reports a current valuation estimate of about $1.5 trillion—lower than earlier figures that suggested a $2 trillion valuation for the forthcoming IPO.
A $1.5 trillion valuation would position Anthropic among the world’s most valuable companies, competing with Tesla’s market capitalization.
Each founder, previously a part of OpenAI, could potentially see their wealth soar up to $29 billion once the AI firm goes public. Currently, each co-founder possesses approximately 240 million shares, valued at nearly $14 billion based on the recent filing.
If Anthropic hits its targeted $2 trillion valuation, their shares’ worth might just double.
Yishai Kabaker, a CPA and tax partner at Gursey Schneider LLP, remarked that the IPO could have a huge impact on the Bay Area and overall state economy, similar to the wealth generation sparked by Google and Facebook in the early 2000s. He noted the expected financial ripple effects would likely elevate housing prices and private school fees in San Francisco.
“Indicators of wealth are likely to rise for the short to medium term, though it’s uncertain how long this wealth will remain in the state,” Kabaker added.
He cautioned against interpreting the wealth that may stem from the Anthropic IPO as a reason to continue elevated state spending, which currently nears $350 billion—a 40% jump since Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration began.
Here’s a closer look at the seven founders positioned to benefit greatly:
Dario Amodei
Dario Amodei, 43, co-founded Anthropic in 2021 and serves as its CEO. He previously held the position of vice president of research at OpenAI before launching Anthropic with his sister, Daniela. Amodei, a former physicist from Stanford, has voiced concerns over existential risks related to AI while simultaneously orchestrating the company’s substantial IPO.
Daniela Amodei
Daniela Amodei, the younger sister of Dario, is Anthropic’s president. She also came from OpenAI and began her career in Pennsylvania politics. According to an SEC filing, both siblings earned annual salaries of $1.4 million last year, with Daniela’s total income reported at $16.4 million and Dario at $18 million.
Christopher Olah
At 34, Christopher Olah leads interpretability research at Anthropic. His intriguing views on AI consciousness have drawn attention, and he has notably communicated with religious figures about AI’s potential for consciousness and suffering.
Jack Clark
Jack Clark, 38, engages in public policy at Anthropic and once worked as a journalist. Before joining Anthropic, he was also with OpenAI. He spearheads the Anthropic Institute, a think tank focused on AI’s societal impacts.
Tom Brown
Tom Brown, 39, serves as the chief compute officer at Anthropic, ensuring efficient technical resources. He played a critical role in creating OpenAI’s GPT-3 prior to his tenure at Anthropic.
Jared Kaplan
As Anthropic’s chief science officer at 42, Jared Kaplan contributed to the development of “Constitutional AI,” a project designed to create AI grounded in a defined set of principles. He also collaborated on GPT-3 during his time at OpenAI.
Sam McCandlish
Sam McCandlish, 36, is Anthropic’s chief architect, having previously served as chief technology officer. He made considerable contributions to AI safety at OpenAI, leading a team dedicated to expanding machine learning and its applications.
