Anthropic is asking shareholders to approve special shares that would give its seven co-founders a combined 50.1 percent of the vote on most corporate decisions, according to reporting cited by TechCrunch. The structure would preserve founder control after a public listing without increasing their economic ownership.
Each founder, including chief executive Dario Amodei, reportedly owns about 2 percent of the five-year-old company. The voting arrangement would remain active while at least three founders retain a required minimum stake. Unlike the dual-class structures used by companies such as Meta and Snap, control would belong to a group rather than one founder.
The proposal adds another layer to Anthropic's unusual governance. Its Long-Term Benefit Trust would continue choosing most members of the board, while founder board seats would increase from two to three. Employees would receive a separate class of stock able to break ties on some matters. The special founder shares would carry no additional claim on the company's financial value.
The arrangement arrives as Anthropic prepares for an expected initial public offering. TechCrunch reports that the company was valued at $965 billion in May and at $1.5 trillion in a later secondary-market transaction. Those private transactions do not guarantee the price public investors will accept, and shareholders still need to approve the proposed control structure.