Eric Schmidt’s Anthropic Stake Could Reach $20 Billion Ahead of IPO
Former Google chief Eric Schmidt owns about 1% of AI developer Anthropic, positioning him for a massive payday as the company targets an IPO.
Eric Schmidt's Anthropic Stake Could Reach $20 Billion Ahead of IPO
Former Google chief Eric Schmidt owns about 1% of AI developer Anthropic, positioning him for a massive payday as the company targets an IPO.
Early Anthropic IPO Bet Points to Massive Windfall
Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt holds approximately a 1% stake in artificial intelligence firm Anthropic, tracing back to a Series A investment made in 2021 according to Bloomberg. As Anthropic prepares for an upcoming Anthropic IPO, market sentiment points toward a potential valuation between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion. If the public debut reaches the higher end of expectations, Schmidt's early investment could deliver a financial windfall valued at up to around $20 billion.
Schmidt reportedly invested tens of millions of dollars into the company's 2021 Series A round, which valued the developer behind the Claude models at $461 million. Anthropic's private valuation later climbed to $965 billion following a funding round in May 2026. Formal marketing for the public listing is expected to begin in November 2026, with trading anticipated to start before the end of the year.
Strong Revenue Growth Backs High Valuation
The anticipated public debut is supported by robust financial growth within the AI firm. In the third quarter of 2026, Anthropic reported a 45% quarter-over-quarter revenue jump, bringing quarterly revenue to $16.8 billion while remaining profitable on an adjusted basis. Industry observers note that this level of expansion helps justify a premium valuation multiple heading into the public markets.
Schmidt is not the only prominent name on the company's cap table. Alphabet, the parent company Schmidt previously led, maintains a roughly 14% stake in Anthropic. Meanwhile, e-commerce giant Amazon has invested multiple billions of dollars and serves as the official cloud partner for the AI developer.
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