Anthropic Seeks Palantir-Style Voting Control for Seven Co-Founders Ahead of IPO

AI Summary

Anthropic is seeking shareholder approval for a new corporate structure similar to Palantir's, granting seven co-founders combined majority voting control ahead of an IPO. This move aims to consolidate founder control despite relatively small equity stakes.

Anthropic is asking shareholders to approve a new corporate structure that would award CEO Dario Amodei and his six cofounders a special class of shares giving them collective voting control in most corporate matters, according to people familiar with the planning. The new arrangement, which emulates a founder-control structure at Palantir, would grant the co-founders a combined 50.1% of voting power, as long as three of the seven co-founders retain a minimum number of shares in the company, one of the people said. It would mark a major change in Anthropic’s already unusual governance structure, strengthening the clout of a group of founders who own relatively small stakes against the prospect of pressure from outside shareholders once it goes public.