Anthropic Seeks 50.1% Voting Control for Founders, The Information Reports
Anthropic wants shareholders to grant its seven co-founders a combined 50.1% of the voting power before its IPO, according to The Information. Each co-founder currently owns approximately 2% of the company, but this new control structure carries no additional economic value.
September 25, 2026 - 4:18 pm
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Anthropic's leadership aims to maintain founder control post-IPO. The company is proposing a special class of shares for its seven co-founders, reported The Information on Thursday. Dario Amodei and his co-founders would collectively hold 50.1% of the voting rights on most corporate matters.
The report, by Cory Weinberg, Valida Pau, and Julia Hornstein, suggests a shareholder vote will occur "in the coming days," as mentioned by TechCrunch's Connie Loizos. This control will persist as long as at least three founders maintain a minimum stake. Anthropic has not publicly commented on the report, and TNW has not independently verified it.
Control Without Economic Gain
The seven co-founders collectively own around 2% of the company, including CEO Dario Amodei. The new shares would solely serve to maintain their control after the stock market listing, carrying no extra economic benefits.
The founders have also pledged to donate most of their wealth, as Amodei announced in an essay on AI risks. He wrote, "All of Anthropic’s co-founders have pledged to donate 80% of our wealth."
A Board Structure Similar to Palantir
The Information compares this structure to that of Palantir, which listed in 2020. Palantir's founders maintained voting control through Class F shares held in a voting trust, ensuring they hold at least a minimum stake.
Super-voting shares are prevalent among tech companies, with Mark Zuckerberg and Evan Spiegel employing similar strategies at Meta and Snap, respectively. SpaceX's IPO filing revealed that Elon Musk and insiders maintain most of the voting power there. Anthropic's plan distinguishes itself through its group approach to founder control.
Prepare for the Listing
Anthropic has selected Nasdaq as its listing venue. A funding round in May valued the company at $965 billion, and it is expected to report a second consecutive quarter of adjusted operating profit.
If shareholders approve, the founders' control would cease only when fewer than three of them maintain the minimum stake, though the size of this stake remains undisclosed.