Anthropic sets up public benefit fund, Musk calls for direct share giveaway
Anthropic announced on October 19 that it would allocate 5% of its stock to a newly created public-benefit fund, and Elon Musk urged the company to give the shares directly to the public, pledging a SpaceX share to each American child next year. The announcement came as the AI firm prepares for a potential trillion-dollar IPO. Earlier announcements in early October detailed the fund’s structure, with Anthropic saying the stake could rise as its valuation increases and that an additional 2% could be added at the board’s discretion.
The pledge prompted reactions from industry leaders, including Musk. Independent analyst New Constructs said the planned IPO valuation of up to $2 trillion was unlikely to be justified, projecting a market value as low as $144 billion.
