Anthropic Plans Super-Voting Shares Ahead of IPO

Anthropic is preparing to establish a new class of shares with superior voting rights for CEO Dario Amodei and his cofounders, a move designed to solidify their control ahead of a highly anticipated initial public offering that could be one of the largest in history. The plans, reported by multiple outlets, would see the AI company's leadership insulated from external shareholder pressure once it becomes a public entity.

Central to the initiative is the significant disparity between the founders' economic stake and their desired governance control. Amodei owns approximately 2 percent of Anthropic, a person close to the company stated, making his holding one of the smallest for any founder-CEO taking a company public in recent decades. The company's seven cofounders, including President Daniela Amodei, hold roughly equal and modest ownership slices. The supervoting shares are intended to decouple voting power from that economic ownership, ensuring the founders retain decisive say over the company's direction.

The governance design extends beyond share classes. Anthropic also plans to maintain its existing Long-Term Benefit Trust, an independent body of nonshareholder trustees....