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Anthropic's IPO filing ties part of the Amodeis' new stock to their staying on

Dario Amodei made $18 million in 2025, mostly in stock and options, Anthropic's IPO filing shows, ahead of a listing that could value it above $2 trillion. The co-founders' stakes are not yet disclosed, so the new stock units are the best guide investors have to what keeps them there.

The Investor · Invest desk

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Illustration accompanying Anthropic's IPO filing ties part of the Amodeis' new stock to their staying on
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What happened

  • Dario Amodei and his sister, President Daniela Amodei, each had their annual salaries doubled to $1.4 million this past July.
  • Anthropic's board granted the pair restricted stock units this year, with some tied to remaining at the company and some tied to the IPO.
  • Daniela Amodei's 2025 package totalled $16.4 million, and stock and options made up the bulk of both siblings' pay.
  • The Amodeis and their fellow co-founders pledged in the filing to dedicate 80% of their personal Anthropic equity to charitable causes.

Why it matters

  • What it costs cost The siblings' combined base salary comes to $2.8 million a year, so most of their pay arrives as stock that future shareholders fund through dilution.
  • Who's exposed exposure Buyers at a valuation above $2 trillion would pay about 2.07 times the $965 billion of Anthropic's last private round, as Crypto Briefing reports that figure.
  • Who has to decide decision Because part of the new units is tied to the IPO, the founders hold a personal stake in the listing going ahead, separate from the units that reward staying.

Against the broad market the $18 million is below average: about 79% of the $22.8 million the AFL-CIO reports as the average pay of an S&P 500 chief executive last year, or roughly $4.8 million short [20][8]. Courtney Yu, director of research at the compensation data firm Equilar, said the figure "seems on the lower end for a company valued at $2 trillion, but it will be interesting to see how that changes once the company goes public" [9]. Even at the new $1.4 million rate, salary would be about 7.8% of his 2025 total [21]. An Anthropic spokesperson declined to comment on the figures [19].

On reported figures, Amodei ranks above the chief executives of Alphabet and Amazon and below those of Oracle and Nvidia [15]. The ranking is a weak guide to what large tech companies actually hand their bosses. Alphabet's Sundar Pichai made $10.9 million in 2025, $8.8 million of it for personal security, while his "compensation actually paid", a measure that reflects the change in value of unvested shares, came to $213.9 million, about 19.6 times the headline [11][22]. Amazon's Andrew Jassy went from $2.1 million to $13.2 million on the same basis [12]. Founder chief executives "typically own enough equity that when the company does well and the stock prices increases they can just live off the wealth of the equity they already own," Yu said [17].

For an IPO buyer, the terms that matter most are the ones that keep the founders in place. Should the founders' stakes prove large, the tenure-linked units would be small next to them. If seven co-founders splitting the founding equity, plus the charitable pledge, leave each with a modest retained stake, the units carry most of the reason to stay [26][28]. A short vesting schedule on those units would hold the founders for less time than a buyer paying more than $2 trillion would assume [3].

I think the second case is closer. Yu said that with six other co-founders, Amodei may wind up with a lesser share of the wealth the IPO creates than other major tech chief executives [10]. After the pledge, 20% of each co-founder's personal Anthropic equity sits outside it [28]. The counter-case is in the same Reuters report: the founders' ownership could be worth billions of dollars depending on the final terms and valuation, and a fifth of billions is still a strong incentive to stay [13]. An amended filing that shows big founder stakes beside small unit grants would prove the view wrong.

Below the siblings the pay scale drops quickly. Chief Financial Officer Krishna Rao's $720,250 last year is about one twenty-fifth of Amodei's, and the options he exercised in 2025, worth $385,285, equal about 53% of it [6][24][25]. His hiring grant in 2024 was options on 1.4 million shares [7].

What to watch

  • An amended S-1 with an ownership table showing how large the seven co-founders' stakes are next to the new units.
  • The number, value and vesting schedule of the Amodeis' restricted stock units, and how they split between tenure and the IPO.
  • Where the IPO prices relative to the $965 billion last private round and the more-than-$2 trillion prospectus figure.

Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.

Clarity's read

What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.

Reality

Evidence62
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+12
Incentives55
Confidence60

Perspective Coverage

10 publishers
Builder
Builder 8%
Operator
Operator 29%
Investor
Investor 63%
Why these scores

Claim ledger

Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.

  1. [1]

    Dario Amodei made $18 million last year (2025) as CEO of Anthropic, according to the company's IPO filing.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing Anthropic's IPO filingView cited source
  2. [2]

    Amodei's pay leans heavily towards stock and other sorts of compensation.

    Reported Supported Source: ReutersView cited source
  3. [3]

    Anthropic is preparing for an IPO as early as this fall that could value it at more than $2 trillion, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing the prospectusView cited source
  4. [4]

    Dario Amodei and his sister, Anthropic President Daniela Amodei, each had their annual salaries doubled this past July to $1.4 million.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing the IPO filingView cited source
  5. [5]

    Anthropic's board this year granted Dario and Daniela Amodei further equity in the form of restricted stock units; some is tied to their remaining at the company and some is tied to the IPO.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing the IPO filingView cited source
  6. [6]

    Chief Financial Officer Krishna Rao earned $720,250 last year.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing the IPO filingView cited source
  7. [7]

    Krishna Rao was granted options to buy 1.4 million shares when he was hired in 2024, and exercised options worth $385,285 in 2025.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing the IPO filingView cited source
  8. [8]

    S&P 500 CEO average annual compensation rose 21% to $22.8 million last year, excluding Elon Musk's $158 billion Tesla restricted stock plan, according to the AFL-CIO.

    Reported Supported Source: AFL-CIO, via ReutersView cited source
  9. [9]

    "seems on the lower end for a company valued at $2 trillion, but it will be interesting to see how that changes once the company goes public"

    Reported Supported Source: Courtney Yu, director of research, Equilar, on Amodei's $18 millionView cited source
  10. [10]

    With six other co-founders, Amodei may wind up getting a lesser share of the wealth created by the IPO compared with other major tech CEOs, Yu said.

    Reported Supported Source: Courtney Yu, Equilar, via ReutersView cited source
  11. [11]

    Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai made $10.9 million in 2025, including $8.8 million for personal security; by 'compensation actually paid', which reflects the change in value of unvested shares, he earned $213.9 million.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing Alphabet disclosuresView cited source
  12. [12]

    Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy made $2.1 million in 2025, mainly reflecting travel and security; on an 'actually paid' basis he received $13.2 million.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing Amazon disclosureView cited source
  13. [13]

    The S-1 seen by Reuters does not describe the founders' share of ownership in the company, which could be worth billions of dollars depending on the final terms and valuation of the IPO.

    Reported Supported Source: ReutersView cited source
  14. [14]

    Anthropic was valued at $965 billion in its last private funding round and confidentially filed for an IPO earlier this year.

    Reported Supported Source: Crypto BriefingView cited source
  15. [15]

    Amodei's pay last year puts him above CEOs at Alphabet and Amazon, but behind those at Oracle and Nvidia.

    Reported Supported Source: ReutersView cited source
  16. [16]

    Stock and options awards made up the bulk of Dario and Daniela Amodei's packages in 2025, with Daniela Amodei receiving a total of $16.4 million last year.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing the IPO filingView cited source
  17. [17]

    "Founder CEOs typically own enough equity that when the company does well and the stock prices increases they can just live off the wealth of the equity they already own, and typically don't take in a lot in annual compensation,"

    Reported Supported Source: Courtney Yu, EquilarView cited source
  18. [18]

    The Amodei siblings and their fellow co-founders pledged in the IPO filing to dedicate 80% of their personal Anthropic equity to charitable causes.

    Reported Supported Source: Reuters, citing the IPO filingView cited source
  19. [19]

    An Anthropic spokesperson declined to comment on the compensation figures.

    Reported Supported Source: ReutersView cited source
  20. [20]

    Amodei's $18 million is about 79% of the $22.8 million S&P 500 CEO average, roughly $4.8 million less.

    Derived Supported
  21. [21]

    A $1.4 million salary is about 7.8% of Amodei's $18 million 2025 total.

    Derived Supported
  22. [22]

    Pichai's compensation actually paid was about 19.6 times his reported 2025 pay.

    Derived Supported
  23. [23]

    Dario and Daniela Amodei's combined base salary is $2.8 million a year.

    Derived Supported
  24. [24]

    Rao's $720,250 is about one twenty-fifth of Amodei's $18 million.

    Derived Supported
  25. [25]

    Rao's $385,285 in exercised options equals about 53% of his $720,250 reported pay.

    Derived Supported
  26. [26]

    Anthropic has seven co-founders: Amodei plus six others.

    Derived Supported
  27. [27]

    A valuation of $2 trillion is about 2.07 times the $965 billion last private round.

    Derived Supported
  28. [28]

    After the 80% charitable pledge, 20% of each co-founder's personal Anthropic equity remains outside it.

    Derived Supported

Sources

6 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.

  1. calcalistech.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei made $18 million last year. His real fortune lies elsewher | Ctech
  2. channelnewsasia.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Exclusive-Anthropic's Amodei made $18 million last year, middle of the tech CEO pack
  3. cryptobriefing.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei earned $18 million in 2025, mostly from stock and options
  4. cryptopolitan.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Dario Amodei earned $18 million at Anthropic in 2025, IPO prospectus shows
  5. en.sedaily.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Anthropic CEO Amodei Took Home $18 Million Last Year - Seoul Economic Daily
  6. finance.yahoo.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's pay revealed in IPO filing
  7. mezha.net

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Керівник Anthropic отримав $18 млн, а компанія може вийти на біржу з оцінкою понад $2 трлн
  8. qz.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Anthropic's IPO filing shows CEO Dario Amodei earned $18 million last year
  9. theneuron.ai

    1 article · October 7, 2026

    Dario Amodei’s $18 Million Pay Opens a Bigger Question About AI Wealth
  10. thenextweb.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Anthropic IPO filing shows CEO Dario Amodei earned $18M last year

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