Ex-Anthropic employee essay: the org optimizes for power 'constrained by being seen as the good guys'
RichardMCNgo · x · 2026-10-27
Richard Ngo amplifies an essay from a former Anthropic employee arguing the organization optimizes for accumulating power under the constraint of being seen as "the good guys" — or at least not worse than Sam Altman. The author clarifies this isn't cheap signaling: many individuals genuinely pursue the good, and Anthropic has made real sacrifices for its narrative. But like most large organizations, it lacks the internal coherence to optimize for actual good, only its socially validated appearance — coordination runs on "about five words," and Anthropic's are "we are the good guys."
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