Anthropic Weighs Tighter Controls on Employee Stock Trading As It Preps for Wall Street
Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic is weighing whether to require most employees to use preset stock-sale programs once the company becomes publicly traded, a move aimed at reducing insider-trading risk.
The proposal, reported by Reuters citing The Information, would push workers to sell shares only through 10b5-1 plans that lock in trade details ahead of time. Under that approach, employees’ sales would be set by a schedule that spells out when trades can occur and how many shares can be sold, limiting personal control over timing.
The Information said Anthropic’s internal conversations with outside advisers were still in progress, and it was not clear whether the company had reached a final call. Anthropic is also debating how much stock current holders could unload on the first trading day and how long post-offering lockups would last.
Anthropic has also been planning meetings with investors ahead of its blockbuster IPO, which the company is planning to debut as early as October.
The Claude maker has hired Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group, and JPMorgan Chase to work on the IPO process. However, details regarding the IPO are ongoing and subject to change.
The company is also working with major banks to secure several billion dollars in new credit lines ahead of its planned initial public offering, investing.com reported (via The Information). The new financing would increase the company’s existing $2.5 billion five-year revolving credit facility, obtained from lenders last year.
Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, Anthropic has quickly established itself as a key player in artificial intelligence, building tools that are reshaping how businesses approach areas like coding and cybersecurity.
In May, Anthropic overtook OpenAI as the world’s most valuable startup after raising $65 billion in Series H, valuing the company at $965 billion. Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital led the funding round.
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