Former White House adviser David Sacks claims that over $1 billion in philanthropic capital from Effective Altruism networks has been directed toward AI-risk advocacy. Sacks argues that this funding creates an incentive structure where predicting catastrophic AI outcomes becomes professionally rewarding for researchers and organizations.
Anthropic, the developer of Claude, filed its S-1 form with the SEC on June 1, 2026. The company reached a private valuation of $965 billion following a funding round of $65 billion. Market estimates suggest the potential IPO valuation could reach $2 trillion, with annual revenue projections ranging from $47 billion to over $100 billion.
Sacks contends that Anthropic utilizes a safety-first branding strategy to gain regulatory advantages over competitors. He warns that a successful IPO would provide the company with additional capital to further support doom-focused narratives, which he believes could harm US competitiveness by inviting restrictive regulations that favor incumbents.
CEO Dario Amodei has publicly predicted that 50% of entry-level knowledge workers could face job displacement within one to five years. Sacks characterizes these statements as a dual-purpose tactic that generates political urgency while positioning Anthropic as a responsible industry leader.