Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, reportedly holds about a 1% stake in Anthropic, the AI research company led by CEO Dario Amodei. This significant ownership follows Schmidt's investment of tens of millions of dollars during Anthropic’s Series A fundraising round in 2021, when the company was valued at approximately $461 million. Interestingly, this 1% stake is about half the ownership of Dario Amodei, who holds around 2% of the startup.

Anthropic is expected to go public before the end of 2026, with market valuations speculated to reach as high as $2 trillion. Should the company achieve this valuation, Schmidt’s share could translate into a substantial financial gain, boosting his net worth by up to $20 billion. Bloomberg currently estimates Schmidt’s wealth at around $57.5 billion, indicating the investment’s potential impact on his fortune.

Since stepping down from Google in 2011, Schmidt has been an active investor in technology, particularly in AI ventures. He manages his investments mainly through entities such as Tomorrow Ventures, Innovation Endeavors Management, and his family investment office Hillspire. His AI-related investments also include stakes in companies like Mistral, General Intuition, and Reflection AI.

Neither Eric Schmidt nor Anthropic has provided official comments in response to these reports. However, Schmidt’s sizeable position highlights the continued interest and confidence he and other investors have in Anthropic’s growth prospects and the broader AI sector as it approaches a pivotal moment with its anticipated public offering.