Anthropic, a San Francisco startup usually forged as an unbiased participant within the AI race, has deeper ties to Google than beforehand recognized. Courtroom paperwork lately obtained by The New York Instances reveal that Google owns a 14% stake within the firm and is ready to pour one other $750 million into it this yr via a convertible debt deal. In complete, Google’s funding in Anthropic now exceeds $3 billion.
Regardless of having no voting rights, board seats, or direct management over the corporate, Google’s backing raises questions on how unbiased Anthropic actually is. As AI startups more and more depend on funding from tech giants, regulators have been scrutinizing whether or not these offers give incumbents an unfair benefit within the fast-moving trade, although the Justice Division underneath the Trump administration is softening its stance.
Google, which is growing its personal tech whereas quietly funding rivals, is clearly hedging its bets. In the meantime, with Amazon additionally funneling cash into Anthropic — it has agreed to take a position as much as $8 billion thus far within the outfit — it’s pure to surprise what such ties imply for Anthropic and different large AI startups. Are they mavericks or extensions of Massive Tech?
Above: Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei talking at Viva Know-how in Paris.
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