Anthropic is preparing a shareholder vote that would create a class of special shares for its chief executive Dario Amodei and the six other founders. The combined voting power of these shares would reach just over half of all decisions, specifically 50.1 percent, provided that at least three of the founders retain a minimum ownership level.
The mechanism mirrors the dual-class structures used by other tech leaders, such as the founder-controlled voting arrangements at Meta and Snap. What sets Anthropic apart is that control is distributed among a group of seven individuals rather than concentrated in a single founder, marking a novel collective approach to retaining influence after a public offering.
Each of the seven founders currently holds roughly two percent of Anthropic’s equity. In a statement made earlier this year, the chief executive announced a personal commitment to donate eighty percent of his wealth, warning that concentration of AI-generated riches could threaten societal stability. The same pledge applies to the other co-founders, aligning their financial intentions with the voting plan.
The proposed special shares would not confer any additional financial upside beyond the standard equity. Their sole purpose is to secure the founders’ ability to direct corporate policy once the company’s shares begin trading on public markets. By separating voting rights from economic interest, the structure aims to protect strategic direction without altering shareholder returns.
Anthropic’s Long-Term Benefit Trust is slated to continue appointing the majority of the board, reinforcing the founders’ governance framework. The founders’ representation on the board would rise from two seats to three, while a separate pool of employee-issued stock would be used to break potential deadlocks on certain matters, adding a layer of internal balance.
The startup, founded five years ago, was reported to be worth nine hundred sixty-five billion dollars in May, and a later secondary-market transaction suggested a valuation of one point five trillion dollars. Analysts expect the forthcoming initial public offering to reflect this higher figure, positioning Anthropic among the most valuable AI-focused companies seeking public capital.