10 interesting facts about Anthropic that will leave you stunned

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the hottest race of the decade, and one company that has rapidly risen to prominence is Anthropic.

Founded by former OpenAI researchers, Anthropic has developed some of the world’s most advanced AI models, including the Claude family.

From mysterious breakthroughs in coding to billion-dollar backing, Anthropic is reshaping the future of technology in ways that few could have imagined. 

Here are 10 surprising facts about Anthropic that will shock you.

1. Anthropic was born out of a break with OpenAI

In late 2020, co-founder Dario Amodei and several top researchers resigned from OpenAI, citing concerns about safety, trust, and values.

They went on to establish Anthropic in 2021. Within months, the new startup attracted top AI talent and quickly positioned itself as one of OpenAI’s fiercest rivals.

2. Founders helped discover scaling laws

Before leaving OpenAI, Amodei played a major role in identifying the “scaling laws” of AI, proof that performance could skyrocket simply by adding more data and computing power.

This discovery laid the groundwork for Anthropic’s philosophy: large-scale, safe, and interpretable AI systems.

3. Anthropic considers safety first

In 2022, Anthropic developed an early version of its Claude AI chatbot that was more advanced than anything available at the time.

However, instead of rushing it out, Amodei held it back over concerns about safety.

Months later, OpenAI released ChatGPT, setting off an AI gold rush. Anthropic’s restraint highlighted its unusual focus on responsible AI deployment.

4. Sam Bankman-Fried’s $500 million bet

One of Anthropic’s largest early backers was Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the disgraced founder of FTX.

His investment of half a billion dollars became one of the biggest links between the failed crypto empire and the AI boom. 

While controversial, the funding gave Anthropic crucial runway in its early days.

5. Claude: The polite AI assistant

Anthropic’s flagship AI assistant, Claude, was designed to be helpful, harmless, and honest. 

Unlike its competitors, Claude is trained to refuse potentially harmful requests, making it stand out as a more cautious and “polite” chatbot.

Many users consider it one of the most reliable AI models for complex reasoning and longer conversations.

6. Billion-dollar valuation in record time

Anthropic’s valuation skyrocketed in just a few years. Major corporations, including Google, Amazon, and Salesforce, invested billions, pushing the company’s worth close to $100 billion. 

This makes Anthropic one of the fastest-growing startups in Silicon Valley history.

7. The Secret behind coding mastery

In 2024, Anthropic shocked the industry with its Claude Sonnet 3.5 model, which dominated AI coding tasks.

Competitors scrambled to catch up, but a year later, Anthropic’s lead remained. The company’s secret lies in Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) and specialised training that helps its AI handle long-term, complex coding projects.

8. Even rivals depend on Anthropic

Ironically, several competitors, including Meta, use Anthropic’s models to power their own internal tools.

GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and other developer platforms also rely heavily on Claude AI.

9. Effective Altruism runs through its DNA

Many of Anthropic’s founders and funders are linked to Effective Altruism (EA), a movement focused on maximizing global good.

While controversial, EA has deeply influenced Anthropic’s focus on existential AI risks, the idea that poorly controlled AI could one day threaten humanity itself.

10. A true coding revolution

Overall, Anthropic’s biggest impact so far has been in AI-powered software development. Its models are behind the surge of “vibe coding” videos online, where developers (and even teenagers) create apps in minutes.