Anthropic Warns Investors of Unauthorized Platforms Selling Shares

Anthropic's Warning Against Unauthorized Share Sales

As investors rush to grab a piece of AI companies, Anthropic has stepped in to caution against unauthorized platforms selling shares. The tech giant recently updated its website to highlight this issue, specifically naming several investment firms that are not authorized to offer access to its stock.

The Warning Issued

Anthropic named a handful of companies—Open Doors Partners, Unicorns Exchange, Pachamama Capital, Lionheart Ventures, Hiive (new offerings), Forge Global (new offerings), Sydecar, and Upmarket—as unapproved entities. The company's support page clearly states: 'Any sale or transfer of Anthropic stock, or any interest in Anthropic stock, offered by these firms is void and will not be recognized on our books and records.'

Platform Responses

Forge Global responded to the warning, asserting it was mistakenly included. 'We are working with Anthropic to remove Forge’s name from this alert,' a representative told TechCrunch. 'Forge does not facilitate transactions in any private company’s shares without explicit approval.' Meanwhile, Sydecar clarified its role as an administrative entity: 'The company does not buy or sell securities or solicit transactions in any private companies. Further, Sydecar requires sponsors to attest that they have reviewed relevant documents relating to the transferability of shares and that they have the required approvals and consents from the company.'

The Rise of AI Investment Platforms

With a rumored valuation of $900 billion, Anthropic has become a hot ticket in the investment community. This has led to an increase in secondary market platforms that offer shares through tokenized securities or special purpose vehicles (SPVs). Some companies like Hiive have invested heavily in legal and compliance infrastructure to ensure their processes are legitimate.

Hiive spokesperson Dakota Betts commented, 'We share Anthropic's concerns. They are a major reason why Hiive invested heavily in legal, compliance, and diligence infrastructure from the beginning, and all share transfers facilitated by Hiive are approved by the issuer.'

Understanding SPVs

SPVs offer investors a chance to buy shares of an entity that holds at least some stake in Anthropic. These stakes can come from official investors or through forced liquidations, such as those during the FTX bankruptcy. However, Anthropic has strict transfer restrictions. The company's blog warns against SPVs: 'We do not permit special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to acquire Anthropic stock and any transfer of shares to an SPV are void under our transfer restrictions.'

Conclusion

Anthropic’s move is a clear signal that the company takes these unauthorized sales very seriously. Investors should be wary when dealing with secondary market platforms, especially those claiming to offer direct access to its shares.