Skype Co-founder Jaan Tallinn Invested in Anthropic
The Metaplanet lead expects an IPO for the Claude-maker within months as he pushes for AI safety.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Skype co-founder and Metaplanet operator Jaan Tallinn has invested in AI firm Anthropic to influence the company toward safer development practices. The move comes as Anthropic prepares for a potential public offering in late 2026 or early 2027.
Why it matters
Tallinn aims to ensure AI safety remains a priority by maintaining an ownership stake in major labs, fearing that less safety-conscious capital could otherwise dictate corporate strategy. He leverages investment returns to fund non-profit organizations dedicated to global AI safety research.
Tallinn, 54, maintains his position as an investor in Anthropic, the developer of the Claude model family, to steer the company toward safer alignment protocols. His firm, Metaplanet, prioritizes these holdings to counter the potential influence of capital sources indifferent to AI risk.
The players
Jaan Tallinn
A 54-year-old software engineer and investor who co-founded Skype and now operates the investment firm Metaplanet.
Anthropic
An AI research company that develops the Claude large language model family and is currently planning an initial public offering.
Jacob Coxon
A former staff member at Anthropic who resigned from the company in September 2026.
The details
Tallinn utilizes his investment firm, Metaplanet, to acquire equity in AI laboratories to promote rigorous safety standards. He operates on the belief that if he does not participate as an investor, companies may be backed by entities that do not prioritize the mitigation of existential risks associated with advanced machine intelligence. These activities support his broader advocacy for safety, which he has championed since 2016.
Timeline
Tallinn has advocated for AI safety throughout the period of 2016 to 2026.
Jacob Coxon resigned from his position at Anthropic in September 2026.
Tallinn attended the UN General Assembly in New York from September 20-27, 2026.
Anthropic is expected to hold an initial public offering in late 2026 or early 2027.
The Tech Race
Tallinn's investment strategy mirrors the broader effort by safety advocates to influence the trajectory of top-tier AI labs like Anthropic. This move follows recent organizational shifts, including the departure of Jacob Coxon, as the firm prepares to compete for capital in the public markets.
The transition of Anthropic to a public company will likely increase the transparency of its financial and safety-related disclosures for institutional investors and the public. Readers should watch for upcoming regulatory filings as the company approaches its projected IPO date in the coming months.
The takeaway
Tallinn's strategy demonstrates a shift toward using personal capital to influence the governance and safety priorities of frontier AI firms. Watch for the official IPO filing, which will clarify the financial backing and board composition of Anthropic heading into 2027.
What happens next
Anthropic is expected to hold an initial public offering in late 2026 or early 2027.
Further reading
For broader trends in the industry, explore our coverage of Artificial Intelligence.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ERR.
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