Bloomberg says Eric Schmidt owns about 1% of Anthropic, roughly half of CEO Dario Amodei’s share

According to Bloomberg, former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt holds approximately a 1% interest in Anthropic, the AI research lab that prioritizes safety in its large language models. This amount represents roughly half of the equity owned by Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei.

Created in 2020 by alumni of OpenAI, Anthropic has swiftly risen to a leading position within the fierce AI market. It has drawn billions of dollars in venture funding and has just clinched a multi‑billion‑dollar deal with Google to embed its models in the company's cloud platform. The firm’s emphasis on “constitutional AI”—a system designed to make models more understandable and aligned with human values—distinguishes it from numerous rivals.

Schmidt’s participation underscores his enduring fascination with artificial intelligence. Following his 2011 departure as Google’s CEO, he became Alphabet’s executive chairman and kept influencing the group’s AI roadmap. His private investments in AI‑centric startups have been well documented, and his Anthropic holding brings yet another prominent figure onto the company’s list of backers.

Although Schmidt’s share is relatively small in absolute numbers, it is significant as it conveys endorsement from a seasoned tech veteran. Possessing roughly half the amount owned by Amodei indicates that the founder‑CEO maintains a greater personal stake in the firm’s trajectory, whereas Schmidt’s involvement could offer strategic guidance and added credibility in upcoming financing efforts.

Anthropic’s swift ascent takes place against a wider wave of investment pouring into AI research. Firms like Microsoft, Amazon and Meta have each committed billions toward building their own generative‑AI tools, while venture capitalists scramble to fund promising newcomers. Within this context, well‑known investors such as Schmidt can aid a company in standing out and obtaining the capital required to compete at scale.

Analysts point out that Schmidt’s equity is not expected to change Anthropic’s everyday operations, though it may open doors to closer cooperation with Alphabet’s ecosystem, particularly in light of the current cloud alliance. As the AI landscape keeps evolving, the participation of veteran industry leaders could influence governance and strategic decisions that decide which labs become enduring frontrunners.