Anthropic pledges 5% of shares to public-benefit fund ahead of stock market listing

Summary

Anthropic, the AI developer behind the Claude chatbot, said it will commit 5% of its shares to a fund for the public good, subject to shareholder approval, as it prepares for a stock market listing. The Guardian reports the shares are worth about $48bn (£36bn) at the company's latest valuation in May, and that Anthropic will add a further 2% of its stock to the fund for every 50% increase in its value above an undisclosed baseline. Semafor reports the pledge comes as the company gears up for a record-breaking IPO amid increasingly negative public reactions to AI's technological advances. The Financial Times reports the move comes as the start-up has faced growing public backlash over safety and economic concerns.

Timeline

1. Semafor

   19 Oct 2026, 10:48 UTCSource ↗

   Semafor reports that Anthropic pledged at least 5% of its shares to a public-benefit fund while gearing up for a record-breaking IPO in the face of increasingly negative public reactions to AI's technological advances.

2. Financial Times

   19 Oct 2026, 12:17 UTCSource ↗

   The Financial Times reports that Anthropic commits 5% of its shares to a 'public benefit' fund, as the AI start-up faces growing public backlash over safety and economic concerns.

3. The Guardian

   19 Oct 2026, 12:51 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Anthropic will commit 5% of its shares, worth about $48bn (£36bn) at its May valuation, to a fund for the public good, subject to shareholder approval, and will add 2% more for every 50% rise in its value above an undisclosed baseline, as it seeks to bolster its appeal before its stock market listing.