Eric Schmidt Wrote a Check to Anthropic Before the AI Boom: Here’s How Big the Payoff Could Get

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly holds about 1% of Anthropic PBC through an early investment, potentially giving him one of the largest individual windfalls from the artificial intelligence company's upcoming public market debut. Early Series A Bet Schmidt invested "tens of millions of dollars" in Anthropic's Series A round, according to a Bloomberg report published Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. However, it is unclear whether he has sold any stake of his early investment. Anthropic and Schmidt did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment. Schmidt led Google as CEO from 2001 to 2011, overseeing its 2004 public listing, then served as executive chairman. He kept the role at Alphabet Inc.