Anthropic's charitable stock fund

Anthropic, the company behind the AI assistant Claude, has announced that it will contribute 5 percent of its shares to a Public Benefit Fund, which is estimated to be worth $48 billion (over €42 billion). This fund is intended for charities and to support people whose jobs may be lost due to AI technology. The announcement took place on October 18, 2026, with the condition that this must still be approved by the shareholders.

The founders of Anthropic promised at the inception that 80 percent of their shares would benefit the public good. As the company grows, the fund grows as well, with an arrangement that allows for an additional 2 percent of shares to be added to the fund for every 50 percent increase in value. So far, there are initiatives that allow employees to donate shares to charities, which is matched by Anthropic, and about half of the employees are participating in this.

The Anthropic Public Benefit Fund has the ability to make both large donations to charities and direct payments to groups of people, such as employees who lose their jobs due to AI implementation. This is a broadly structured fund, not a traditional foundation, allowing the company to respond more flexibly to societal needs. It is important to note that the fund's shares are excluded from lobbying or political contributions in the U.S. and abroad.

This announcement comes at a crucial time, just before Anthropic's IPO, scheduled for November. The company's stock has increased in value since May, which may also increase the total value of the fund. As Anthropic further develops its strategy, it is still unclear which specific countries, including the Netherlands, will benefit from the fund and what the ultimate impact will be on employees affected by technological changes. These developments will be decisive for how effectively the fund can realize Anthropic's intentions in practice.

Read the full article from AI Insider.