Anthropic commits ~20% of shares to public benefit; Masayoshi Son calls it an IPO bribe
GaryMarcus · x · 2026-10-19
Anthropic announces a Public Benefit Fund
- Anthropic launched the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a wholly owned entity starting with 5% of the company's shares.
- For every 50% increase in valuation above a set baseline, it can contribute up to 2% more, bringing total commitment to roughly 20% of shares for public good.
- Co-founders pledged to donate 80% of their equity; about half of employees donate a portion via a matching program.
The pushback: Masayoshi Son blasted the move as what you'd expect if a corporation tried to bribe the public into underwriting its IPO and insider windfalls, proposing instead to give shares directly to the public with 3-year insider lockups. Gary Marcus amplified the critique.
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