Anthropic Plans Fund With 5% of Shares for Public Benefit
Anthropic says it plans to place 5% of its shares in a company-owned fund that could make grants to nonprofits or send money directly to specific populations…
Anthropic raises prospect cash for public benefit with a plan to put 5% of its shares into a new fund, subject to stockholder approval. The Claude chatbot maker says the fund could give money to nonprofits or send it directly to specific populations, as concern grows about AI’s effects on jobs.
The fund would be a company-owned limited liability corporation, rather than a conventional nonprofit. Anthropic says that structure would allow different kinds of giving, but it has not laid out how the fund would be governed.
That leaves a central question open: who will decide which groups receive support, and how those decisions will be made?
Job losses are among the issues Anthropic may address
Anthropic said the fund would not use money for lobbying or political donations. The company pointed to potential job losses from artificial intelligence as an issue it may tackle, and said the pace of technological progress could require “bolder approaches.”
The company has already set aside $200 million to study AI’s effect on workers. The proposed fund would create another channel for support, though Anthropic has not specified who might receive direct payments or how much money could be distributed.
That distinction matters for people concerned about automation: a fund that can make direct payments could reach individuals, while grants to nonprofits would route support through organizations. Anthropic has described both possibilities, not a confirmed payment program.
Anthropic said that, counting earlier pledges by its founders and employees, about a fifth of its stock would be directed to public benefit. It could allocate more if it reaches valuation targets, but the company did not detail those targets in the statement.
Musk calls for shares to go directly to the public
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk responded to Anthropic’s announcement on X by urging the company to give shares directly to the public. “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public,” he wrote, adding, “This is what I will be doing.”
In a separate brief post, Musk said he plans to hand over a share of SpaceX stock to “every kid in America” next year. He did not provide details about how the pledge would work, but said it would “be the first of many.”
He argued that direct share gifts would give people a stake in the future economy. Anthropic’s proposal takes a different route: a company-owned fund would decide how to distribute support, and its governance remains undecided.
The two announcements arrive amid public concern about AI and employment. A June Pew Research Center survey cited in the source found 71% of U.S. adults expected AI to mean fewer jobs in the country over the next two decades, up from 64% in 2024. Only 5% expected more jobs.
Anthropic’s plan still needs stockholder approval, and the company has not yet explained how the fund will be governed.
Source: finance.yahoo.com
