Just got off the phone with an early Anthropic investor.
The situation seems worse than I thought. Morale with investors and employees are at an all time low. Anger is rising at the more and more doctoral leadership that is now isolated.
They asked for my advice and opinion on how they survive as an independent company.
We talked about the cult they tried to hold on to as the company grew and they had no idea how bad the belief system was inside the core group.
I warned them before they invested. What’s really changed is kids grow up and get married and have kids. They mature their political and philosophical views, many leave the cult-like thinking they had as a collage kid. This maturity and new hires that don’t buy into the cult have built a hidden communication system to vent their anger over the increasingly hostile upper priest class.
I had them make connections to engineers that work there for more insights. Many feel stuck between losing the equity they built and mental health of the cult.
I hate to see this and believe Dario means well in his own mind but unfortunately has not thought out how the real world works. And money has insulted him from anyone that could reach him.
It is unfortunately a story as old as time.
This is one of the premier AI companies and they are flaming out. It is not good for anyone other than countries that want to see the US fail.
The investor conceded I was right about how the philosophy these folks held would be their undoing when they asked long ago.
I pray for a good outcome for all.
