# Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Holds 1% Stake in Anthropic Ahead of Planned IPO

- URL: https://stocks.freetheai.org/news/former-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-holds-1-stake-in-anthropic-ahead-of-planned-ipo-00c922
- Published: 2026-10-19T23:28:34Z
- Category: ipo; sentiment: bullish; impact: high
- Written by our AI from expert market sources across the web for FreeTheAI Stocks, built by Vibhek Soni
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Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt holds an estimated 1% equity stake in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic PBC. Schmidt originally invested tens of millions of dollars during the company's Series A funding round in 2021, when Anthropic carried a $461 million valuation. It remains unconfirmed whether he has sold any of those original holdings.

The early investment positions Schmidt for massive potential financial gains as Anthropic prepares to go public. Private market valuations place the Claude developer between $1.8 trillion and $2 trillion. Even at a lower private valuation of $965 billion, Schmidt's 1% position would add roughly $10 billion to his $57.5 billion net worth. The company previously raised $65 billion in May from backers including Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).

Anthropic plans to begin marketing its initial public offering as early as the week of November 9, with formal trading targeted prior to Thanksgiving or before the end of the year. The company expects its debut to match or top the $1.77 trillion public launch set by SpaceX (SPCX) earlier in June.

## Key points

- Eric Schmidt holds approximately 1% equity in Anthropic PBC following a Series A investment made in 2021.
- Anthropic is evaluated between $1.8 trillion and $2 trillion in private markets ahead of its planned public debut.
- A $965 billion valuation would value Schmidt's stake at nearly $10 billion, adding to his $57.5 billion net worth.
- Anthropic expects to launch IPO marketing as early as November 9, with trading anticipated before year-end.
- Major institutional backers include Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).

## Questions and answers

### How much of Anthropic does Eric Schmidt own?

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt owns approximately a 1% equity stake in Anthropic PBC after investing tens of millions of dollars during the company's 2021 Series A round.

### When is Anthropic expected to go public?

Anthropic plans to launch initial public offering marketing as early as the week of November 9, with trading expected to begin before Thanksgiving and no later than the end of the year.

### What is Anthropic's expected IPO valuation?

Private market indicators point to a valuation between $1.8 trillion and $2 trillion for Anthropic, placing its potential public debut alongside or above major tech market listings.