Dario Amodei warned in May 2025 that artificial intelligence could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, Yahoo News reported. He said this, hoping that the government and big AI companies could prepare for how to protect people from this outcome.
Then, on October 18, 2026, Anthropic announced the creation of the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund. Subject to stockholder approval, the new entity is set to receive 5% of the company’s shares, and the money will go toward helping workers whose jobs are disrupted by artificial intelligence, CNBC reported.
This is one of the first serious attempts by an AI company to provide support to affected individuals.
Inside Anthropic’s pledge to displaced workers
Anthropic is the company behind Claude AI, and it makes money by selling access to that AI to businesses and everyday users.
Also read: OpenAI CFO offers calming message amid AI slowdown fears
All seven of Anthropic’s co-founders have earlier pledged to give away 80% of their personal shares, Fortune reported. When you add that to the 5% of Anthropic’s equity that the fund is starting with, and a company program that matches employee donations, that means roughly 20% of Anthropic’s total shares are now set aside for public benefit.
If the company hits a $2 trillion valuation for its IPO, that initial 5% stake alone could be worth up to $100 billion when trading begins, Forbes reported. That would be one of the biggest corporate commitments to a social cause ever announced. Investors have recently scaled back their valuation estimates to roughly $1.5 trillion. Still, that would be worth about $75 billion.
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Why Anthropic chose an LLC instead of a charity
Anthropic set up the fund as a wholly owned Limited Liability Company, not a traditional nonprofit. That structure gives the company legal room to try things most charities simply can’t do.
For example, the fund can make direct payments to specific populations hardest hit by AI’s labor-market impact. It can also fund retraining programs and groups that help workers transition to new careers.
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“We should do everything we can to prevent it,” Amodei said in June about large-scale AI job losses, calling permanent worker displacement “undesirable and dangerous,” according to Business Today.
Anthropic has also blocked the fund from spending any money on lobbying or political donations. And the fund is set to grow with the company. At the board’s discretion, every time Anthropic’s valuation rises by 50%, the fund gets another 2% of equity.
What this means if your job could be lost to AI
Anthropic has not yet said who qualifies for help or when any direct payments might reach anyone. The company says more details will come in the next few months.
No one knows exactly when people will see real benefits from this fund, so if you work in customer service, basic coding, entry-level finance, or routine administrative work, improving your own skills is the smart move for now.
The catch behind the big payout promise
Equity doesn’t pay bills until it is sold. If the AI trade or the broader stock market slows after the IPO, it could easily cut into the cash the fund can eventually hand out.
I also think the fact that Anthropic has not presented any guidelines on qualifications and a timeline for adoption means the whole fund could be a thing of the future, rather than a near-term plan.
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