Eric Schmidt holds about 1% of Anthropic from his early bet
The former head of Google invested in Anthropic in 2021, during its Series A funding round. If Anthropic's planned stock market launch reaches the highest expected value, his investment could be worth up to about $20 billion.
Anthropic / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
According to Bloomberg, Eric Schmidt owns about 1% of Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company that makes the Claude models. He got this share by investing in the company during its Series A funding round in 2021.
A small share of a very valuable company
Bloomberg reported this ownership on October 19, 2026. Schmidt, who previously led Google and its parent company, Alphabet, reportedly invested tens of millions of dollars in Anthropic's Series A round. At that time, the company was valued at $461 million.
After a funding round in May 2026, Anthropic's private valuation reached $965 billion.
Anthropic is getting ready to sell shares to the public for the first time through an initial public offering (IPO). Investors believe the company could be worth between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion when this happens.
If Anthropic reaches the higher value, Schmidt's share could be worth up to about $20 billion. Recent estimates put his total wealth between $57.5 billion and $67.4 billion. A gain of that size could increase his wealth by about one-third.
The path to Anthropic's stock market launch
Anthropic is expected to begin officially promoting its IPO to investors in November 2026. Trading in its shares is expected to start before the end of the year.
In the third quarter of 2026, Anthropic's revenue rose 45% from the previous quarter, reaching $16.8 billion. The company also made a profit when measured using its adjusted financial results.
Schmidt is not the only well-known investor in Anthropic. Amazon has invested several billion dollars in the company and also provides its cloud computing services. Alphabet, the company Schmidt once led, owns about 14% of Anthropic.
What this means for investors and the AI market
If Anthropic goes public with a value between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion, its stock market launch would be one of the most valuable ever. Even if its value falls below that range, it would still be worth more than it was during the private funding round in May.
Revenue growth of 45% in one quarter, reaching $16.8 billion, could help justify a high company value compared with its earnings or revenue.
Amazon and Alphabet could both see the value of their Anthropic investments measured using the company's public share price. Alphabet's roughly 14% share would be especially easier for its own shareholders to value once Anthropic's shares are publicly traded.
Schmidt could gain up to about $20 billion, but that depends on Anthropic reaching the higher end of the expected valuation range. Until its shares actually begin trading, this amount remains an estimate, not a confirmed gain.