Anthropic / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Eric Schmidt holds about 1% of Anthropic from his early bet
The former Google chief's 2021 Series A investment could be worth up to around $20 billion if Anthropic's IPO hits the top of expectations
Eric Schmidt owns about 1% of Anthropic, the AI company behind the Claude models, according to Bloomberg. The stake traces back to his investment in the company’s Series A round in 2021.
A small slice of a very large pie
Bloomberg reported the holding on October 19, 2026. Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and Alphabet, reportedly put tens of millions of dollars into Anthropic’s Series A. That round valued the company at $461 million.
Anthropic reached a private valuation of $965 billion after a funding round in May 2026.
Anthropic is preparing for an initial public offering, and investor sentiment points to a possible valuation somewhere between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion.
If the higher figure materializes, Schmidt’s stake could deliver a windfall worth up to around $20 billion. His net worth was recently pegged at between $57.5 billion and $67.4 billion. A payday of that size could lift it by approximately a third.
The road to Anthropic’s public debut
The company is expected to begin formal IPO marketing in November 2026. Trading is anticipated to start before the end of the year.
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In the third quarter of 2026, Anthropic’s revenue jumped 45% quarter-over-quarter to $16.8 billion. The company was profitable on an adjusted basis.
Schmidt is far from the only big name on the cap table. Amazon has invested multiple billions in Anthropic and serves as its cloud partner. Alphabet, the parent company Schmidt once ran, holds roughly a 14% stake.
What this means for investors and the AI market
A listing in the $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion range would rank among the most valuable debuts the market has seen. Anything below that range would still represent a premium over the May private round.
A 45% quarterly jump to $16.8 billion is the kind of growth that supports a premium multiple.
Amazon and Alphabet both stand to see their Anthropic holdings marked to a public price. Alphabet’s roughly 14% position, in particular, would become a far easier figure for its own shareholders to value.
Schmidt’s potential windfall of up to around $20 billion depends on that higher end being reached. Until shares actually trade, it is a projection.