Who's really in charge at Anthropic after the IPO?
Here's a clear explanation of Anthropic's incredibly complex governance structure.
TL;DR
- Anthropic, founded in 2021, aims to ensure humanity controls and benefits from AI.
- Its corporate governance structure is complex, limiting control for public shareholders.
- As a public benefit company, Anthropic balances AI safety mission with profit.
- A Long Term Benefit Trust (LTBT) controls a majority of board seats.
- Anthropic's seven founders jointly own a special stock class granting them majority voting power.
- Employees can overrule the LTBT on board seats under certain conditions.
- Founder control will end ten years after the IPO or when fewer than three founders remain.
- Common shareholders will gain control when special stock classes no longer exist.