Anthropic Seeks 50.1% Founder Voting Control Ahead of $1.5 Trillion IPO

3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 25

Anthropic is asking shareholders to approve special shares that would give CEO Dario Amodei and six co-founders 50.1% of votes on most corporate matters after the company lists.
The structure would preserve founder control even though each co-founder reportedly owns only about 2% of the company, and it would remain in place as long as at least three founders keep a minimum stake.
The plan adds an unusual group-control model: the special shares carry no extra economic value, the founders' board seats would rise to three from two, and employees would get stock to break some tie votes.
Anthropic's Long-Term Benefit Trust would still select most of the board, showing the company is layering founder power onto an existing governance system rather than replacing it.
The proposal comes as the five-year-old AI company heads toward an IPO expected to reflect a recent $1.5 trillion secondary-market valuation, up from $965 billion in May.