In this article
Anthropic is the company behind Claude. It started in 2021 as a breakaway group of OpenAI researchers who wanted to put AI safety at the centre of how frontier models are built. Five years later it is among the most valuable private companies anywhere.
Who Started It, and Why
Anthropic was founded in January 2021 by former OpenAI staff. Dario Amodei, previously OpenAI's vice president of research, is chief executive. His sister Daniela Amodei is president. The other co-founders include Jared Kaplan, Jack Clark, Chris Olah, Ben Mann, Sam McCandlish and Tom Brown.
Its own description is short: "AI research and products that put safety at the frontier." The company is based in San Francisco and employs about 2,500 people.
What It Makes
Everything Anthropic sells runs on Claude, its family of AI models. The first version reached a small group of users in March 2023, and the latest generation, Claude Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5, came out in September 2026.
| Product | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Claude apps | The assistant on the web, desktop and phone, for writing, research and analysis |
| Claude Code | An AI agent that writes, edits and runs code with developers, generally available since May 2025 |
| Claude API | Lets businesses build Claude into their own products and workflows |
| Cloud platforms | Claude is also offered through Amazon Bedrock and Google Cloud Vertex AI |
How It Is Run
Anthropic is a public benefit corporation, a company legally required to weigh a stated public purpose alongside profit. Its purpose, in its own words, is "the responsible development and maintenance of advanced AI for the long-term benefit of humanity." Its board is elected by shareholders, and an independent Long-Term Benefit Trust also takes part in its governance.
Its best-known safety method is Constitutional AI: Claude is trained to follow a written set of principles, aimed at keeping it helpful, honest and harmless.
Funding and Scale
Its funding rounds are among the largest in venture history: Crunchbase called its February 2026 raise the second-largest venture deal ever. Amazon and Google are long-standing investors, and Amazon Web Services is its main cloud provider. In February 2026 it raised $30 billion at a $380 billion valuation. Three months later it raised $65 billion at $965 billion, in a round co-led by firms including Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer and Sequoia Capital. On 1 June 2026 it said it had filed confidentially for an IPO.
What It Means for Businesses
For a company putting AI to work, Anthropic is one of three or four model makers worth evaluating, alongside OpenAI and Google. Claude is used for writing, analysis and research, and for software development through Claude Code. The practical choice is rarely about the company; it is about which model does your specific task best, at a cost you can sustain.
Put Claude to Work in Your Business
Naraway's tech team builds Claude into customer products and internal tools, with the testing that keeps them reliable after launch.
Talk to our AI teamAnthropic began as a bet that safety and capability could be built together. Its growth since suggests a large part of the market agrees. Building a startup on Claude? See what the Claude for Startups programme offers
In short
Anthropic is an American AI company that builds Claude, a family of AI models used in the Claude apps, in Claude Code and through an API. It was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, including siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, and is run as a public benefit corporation focused on AI safety. In May 2026 it raised $65 billion at a $965 billion valuation.
- Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI staff, led by CEO Dario Amodei and president Daniela Amodei.
- It builds Claude: the Claude apps, Claude Code for software work, and an API for developers.
- It is a public benefit corporation whose stated purpose is the responsible development of advanced AI.
- It raised $65 billion at a $965 billion valuation in May 2026 and has filed confidentially for an IPO.
- Its safety method, Constitutional AI, trains Claude to follow a written set of principles.
Sources
- Company, Anthropic
- Anthropic, Wikipedia
- Anthropic raises $65 billion, nears $1T valuation ahead of IPO, TechCrunch
- Anthropic Raises $30B At $380B Valuation, Crunchbase News
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Anthropic do?
Anthropic builds Claude, a family of AI models available in the Claude apps, in Claude Code for software development, and through an API that businesses use to build their own products.
Who founded Anthropic?
Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, including Dario Amodei, who is CEO, and Daniela Amodei, who is president.
Who owns Anthropic?
Anthropic is a privately held public benefit corporation. Its investors include Amazon and Google, and its May 2026 round was co-led by firms including Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer and Sequoia Capital.
Is Anthropic part of OpenAI?
No. Anthropic is a separate company and one of OpenAI's main competitors. Its founders left OpenAI to start it in 2021.
