Anthropic's seven co-founders seek a combined 50.1 percent of the vote ahead of the IPO
The proposed special shares carry no extra economic value, and the Long-Term Benefit Trust would still choose most of the board, The Information reports.
Anthropic is asking shareholders to approve, 'in the coming days,' a share structure that would give CEO Dario Amodei and his six co-founders special shares with a combined 50.1 percent of the vote on most corporate matters, according to The Information as summarized by TechCrunch. The control would last as long as at least three of the founders keep a minimum stake. Super-voting shares are common among founder-led tech companies, but a group arrangement is unusual. The seven co-founders reportedly own about 2 percent of the company each and have pledged to give away 80 percent of their wealth, a commitment Amodei announced in January. The new shares would carry no additional economic value but would keep the group in control once the company trades publicly. The proposal includes other changes: Anthropic's Long-Term Benefit Trust would still select most of the board, the founders' board seats would rise from two to three, and employees would receive their own class of stock to break ties on some issues. Anthropic was valued at $965 billion in May and has recently been valued at $1.5 trillion on the secondary market. The plan matters for future public shareholders, who would buy into a company where a small founding group and a trust, not ordinary investors, hold decisive influence.