Anthropic is reportedly asking shareholders to approve a new class of stock that would give its seven co-founders a combined 50.1% of voting power in most corporate matters.
Reuters reports, citing The Information and people familiar with the planning, that the proposed structure would cover CEO Dario Amodei and six fellow co-founders. The control arrangement would remain in effect as long as at least three of them retain a minimum number of shares.
Founder control would have important limits
The proposal would not give the founders the same power over every decision. Board elections would be a significant exception, according to the report. Anthropic has a seven-seat board, with one seat currently vacant.
Employees would also reportedly receive a separate special class of stock that could cast tie-breaking votes on some corporate matters. Those details matter because the headline 50.1% figure describes collective voting power over most issues, not a blanket right for one founder to dictate every company decision.
The Information reportedly compared the design with Palantir's founder-control structure. Such arrangements can let founders retain influence even as outside investors own more of a company's economic value, though the exact rights depend on the terms attached to each share class.
