Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei could receive super-voting shares ahead of the AI company’s potential IPO, giving him and other co-founders greater control even as their ownership stakes remain relatively small.
Anthropic Reportedly Eyes Super-Voting Shares Ahead of IPO
Anthropic is preparing to give Amodei and other co-founders a special class of stock with enhanced voting rights, Reuters reported on Tuesday (via The Information).
The arrangement would help insulate Anthropic’s leadership from pressure from outside shareholders as the Claude maker moves closer to a potential public listing.
Amodei reportedly owns only about 2% of Anthropic, making a dual-class structure particularly significant. The report says the specific voting arrangements have not been disclosed and plans could still change.
Anthropic did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Anthropic Could Follow Zuckerberg, Musk Playbook
Dual-class share structures are common among founder-led technology companies and allow executives to retain significant voting control despite owning a smaller economic stake.
At Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), CEO Mark Zuckerberg holds about 60% of the company’s voting control through super-voting shares.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk also has significant voting power through the company’s dual-class structure.
For Anthropic, the structure could give Amodei and other founders greater influence over major corporate decisions and protect them from short-term shareholder demands.
Long-Term Benefit Trust Could Retain Board Power
Anthropic is also reportedly planning to maintain its existing group of non-shareholder trustees through a special class of stock that would allow them to elect a majority of the company’s board.
The arrangement reflects Anthropic’s unusual governance structure.
The company operates as a public benefit corporation, meaning it is legally required to balance commercial interests with social and public benefits.
The reported move also comes as Anthropic prepares for a potential IPO later this year, which could rank among the largest market debuts ever.
Anthropic filed a confidential draft Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1, getting ahead of Sam Altman’s OpenAI, which submitted its own S-1 filing a week later.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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