Anthropic has announced plans to commit 5 per cent of its shares to a new fund focused on public benefits. The company said the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund will receive a stake that could grow as its valuation increases. Anthropic said that the initial 5 per cent commitment is subject to stockholder approval. The company’s board could also add another 2 per cent if its shares for every 50 per cent increase in the company’s value above a set baseline. The company said it would share more details about the fund’s structure and the valuation targets in the coming months.
The announcement has drawn attention from Elon Musk, who suggested that the company should give its shares directly to the public. Replying to the announcement post on X, Musk wrote, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.” He added, “This is what I will be doing.”
@AnthropicAI I recommend giving the shares directly to the public
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2026
Anthropic plans to establish the fund as a wholly owned limited liability company (LLC). This structure will give it more flexibility in deciding how to support public causes.
The company said the fund could make large donations to existing nonprofit organisations or provide money directly to specific groups of people.
“Because of the way the Fund is structured, the more Anthropic grows, the larger the share of the company that can be dedicated expressly to the public good,” Anthropic wrote in a blogpost. “It is common practice for tech companies to offer escalating compensation awards to their executives. We are instead directing that equity to the public benefit.”
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Anthropic said much of its work on public benefit will continue within the company. This includes research into AI safety, efforts to understand how AI systems work, and biomedical research.
However, the company believes the new fund will allow it to take a different approach to helping society.
One key concern is the impact of AI on jobs. Anthropic said AI could create significant economic value but may also cause problems for workers. The company has already committed $200 million to studying and addressing these effects.
Anthropic also said the shares held by the fund will not be used for lobbying or political donations, either in the United States or other countries.
The announcement builds on earlier commitments from Anthropic’s founders and employees. When the company was established, its co-founders pledged to donate 80 per cent of their equity holdings. Anthropic also runs a programme that matches equity donations made by employees. Around half of its employees participate. With the latest commitment included, Anthropic estimates that roughly 20 per cent of its shares will be dedicated to public good.