AI
Anthropic and Dario Amodei Explained: Who They Are and How Claude Is Built
Anthropic is an AI company founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, including Dario Amodei, who is its chief executive, and his sister Daniela Amodei, its president. It makes the Claude AI models and is organised as a public benefit corporation that focuses on AI safety. It earns money from subscriptions and from businesses and developers who use Claude.
Disclosure: Anthropic makes Claude, one of the AI tools we use and teach on this site. We wrote this article to be factual, and you should read all company articles with that in mind.
Who is Dario Amodei?
Dario Amodei is the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic. He has a background in physics and worked on AI research at Baidu, Google Brain and OpenAI, where he was a vice president of research, before leaving to start Anthropic. He writes publicly about both the benefits and the risks of powerful AI.
What is Anthropic?
Anthropic was founded in 2021 in San Francisco by a group of former OpenAI researchers. It builds the Claude family of AI models and does research on AI safety and how AI systems behave. Its official site is anthropic.com.
How is it structured?
- It is a public benefit corporation, which means it commits to considering a public benefit alongside profit.
- It has a Long-Term Benefit Trust, a body designed to help the company weigh long-term interests of humanity.
- Large technology companies, including Amazon and Google, have publicly announced investments in Anthropic.
How does Anthropic make money?
- Subscriptions to Claude for individuals and teams.
- Business and developer access through its API.
- Products such as Claude Code for software work.
- Partnerships with cloud providers.
Can you invest in Anthropic?
Anthropic is a private company, so you cannot buy its shares in a normal brokerage account. Reports about funding rounds, valuations or a possible stock market listing change quickly, so check recent reporting and official announcements, and be careful with unverified claims.
What are the risks and debates?
- High spending on computing, with profits not guaranteed.
- Strong competition from OpenAI, Google, Meta and others.
- Dependence on a few big cloud and chip suppliers.
- Debates about how safe and how fast AI should be developed, and about regulation.
How does it compare with OpenAI?
| Anthropic | OpenAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 | 2015 |
| Best-known product | Claude | ChatGPT |
| CEO | Dario Amodei | Sam Altman |
| Structure | Public benefit corporation | For-profit public benefit corporation controlled by a nonprofit foundation |
| Public shares? | No | No |
For a practical comparison of the two tools, read Claude vs ChatGPT.
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Image credit: Dario Amodei by UK Prime Minister's Office, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and resized. No endorsement is implied.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dario Amodei?
The co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, a former OpenAI vice president of research.
What is Anthropic?
An AI company founded in 2021 that makes the Claude models and focuses on AI safety.
Who founded Anthropic?
A group of former OpenAI researchers, including Dario and Daniela Amodei.
Can I buy Anthropic shares?
Not through a normal brokerage account, because it is a private company.
Is this financial advice?
No. This is education only.
Namya Aankur Gupta is the founder and CEO of The AI Investor, an education brand that teaches practical AI, investing and crypto skills. Featured by LinkedIn News India as a voice to follow in India. Her content is educational and is not financial advice.