The seven cofounders, including siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, each hold between 231 million and 244 million shares. At a valuation of $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion (a range reported in media), each stake could be worth $21 billion to $30 billion. The founders' equity includes stock options that can be cashed in immediately and restricted stock units that vest after the IPO.
Anthropic's compensation structure flattens the traditional pay pyramid, where the CEO typically receives the largest equity and cash packages. Here, all seven cofounders appear to hold identical stakes, with each getting one vote in the entity that will control the company's shareholder votes.
Compensation expert Robin Ferracone, founder of Farient Advisors, described the approach as "unusual." "It's unusual to give all the founders the same thing," she said.
Anthropic's registration statement explains the company's philosophy: "We take internal parity into account when determining executive compensation," and notes that "Each co-founder is paid equal compensation." The filing singles out Dario and Daniela Amodei as "critical to setting our strategic direction" and says they would be "difficult to replace."
The Amodei siblings both earned $654,167 in salary last year, plus stock and options valued at about $13 million combined. Both received raises in July to $1.4 million in salary and additional stock grants. All seven cofounders hold identical numbers of options and restricted stock units that will vest by late November.
The approach contrasts markedly with SpaceX, the last company to go public at a similar scale. Founder Elon Musk received 1.3 billion restricted shares tied to milestones including a Mars colony, with potential awards worth up to $700 billion, while no one else at the company receives comparable packages.
Each Anthropic founder has pledged to give 80% of their stock to philanthropy, a potential gift of $80 billion to $165 billion total, though the pledges are not legally binding. The founders can maintain control over the company even if they donate their shares.
The founders are listed as selling stockholders in the IPO but cannot sell immediately. Under lockup terms, they can begin selling a portion of their stock about six months after the offering, with the remainder becoming available after about a year. The Amodeis have already sold shares in a tender offer at $25.91 per share.
Two board members who will oversee executive compensation after the IPO are Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, and Yasmin Razavi, a partner at Spark Capital, which has invested $777 million in Anthropic since 2023.