Anthropic plans to retain founders’ control after IPO — Channel NewsAsia
In the United States, Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI system, plans to give seven co-founders key control over corporate decisions through a new Founder LLC structure. As reported by Channel NewsAsia, citing documents for an initial public offering, the model is intended to allow management to preserve the company’s mission as a priority amid market pressure.
Founders’ controlling vote
Founder LLC will initially bring together seven Anthropic co-founders, including CEO Dario Amodei. By a majority vote, they will control one Class F share, which will provide 50.1% of the aggregate voting power on key corporate matters. These include the election of part of the board of directors and other matters put to an investor vote.
Ordinary Class A shares for retail investors will carry one vote per share. At the same time, Anthropic’s capital structure provides for several other share classes with different functions or restrictions, including minimal voting rights for strategic partners. The documents state that this model may reduce the influence of Class A shareholders.
The company also warned that its corporate model could result in decisions that conflict with the short-, medium-, or long-term financial interests and business performance and could adversely affect the value of Class A shares.
Board of directors and safety priorities
Anthropic will continue to operate as a Public Benefit Corporation under Delaware law. This status formally allows management to balance the interests of investors and society. The company says its mission is to benefit humanity through the responsible development of artificial intelligence.
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Founder LLC will also include Anthropic President Daniela Amodei, Chief Compute Officer Tom Brown, and researcher Chris Olah. Daniela Amodei chairs the company’s board of directors. She, her brother, and another director to be named later will be elected by holders of Class F and Class A shares after the IPO is completed.
Four other directors will be elected by the Long-Term Benefit Trust, the startup’s oversight body. Its current trustees include former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke and national security expert Richard Fontaine.
Conditions for founders
According to the documents, a co-founder may be removed from Founder LLC in the event of leaving the company, death, selling too many shares, or removal on grounds specified in the documents. The special class of voting shares will gradually begin to lose effect when two or fewer co-founders or their successors remain in the structure, triggering a transition period.
The IPO filing also states that Dario Amodei received nearly $18 million in compensation in 2025, mostly in shares and options. Daniela Amodei received $16.4 million. The co-founders committed to direct 80% of their personal stakes in Anthropic to charitable purposes.
