Technology
Anthropic Founder Dario Amodei Urged OpenAI to Reject Peter Thiel’s Funding After 2016 Campaign Donation
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei once asked OpenAI to stop accepting money from billionaire investor Peter Thiel after Thiel donated $1.25 million to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Amodei, who had been with OpenAI for only a few months when he made the request, posted the remarks on the company’s internal messaging app, according to a New York Times report. The request came a few days after Trump’s election victory, when Amodei also expressed concern that the United States was moving toward authoritarianism and that it was unsettling to work on militarily powerful technology in that environment.
Thiel’s money eventually reached Amodei a decade later. Founders Fund, the venture‑capital firm Thiel co‑founded, made its first direct investment in Anthropic in February 2024. The firm co‑led a $30 billion funding round that valued Anthropic at $380 billion and reportedly contributed about $1.25 billion. Founders Fund is also an investor in OpenAI, giving it a stake in both labs.
Thiel was an early supporter of OpenAI. When the nonprofit was established in December 2015, Thiel was listed among donors alongside Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman and Amazon Web Services, who together pledged $1 billion. Amodei’s criticism of Thiel contrasted with Altman’s defense of the billionaire.
Amodei’s tenure at OpenAI ended when he left the company in December 2020, after disagreements over the GPT project and the role of OpenAI president Greg Brockman. He and several colleagues founded Anthropic four weeks later.
Political donations remain a point of contention. In September 2025, Brockman and his wife donated $25 million to MAGA Inc., a pro‑Trump super‑PAC, a move that Amodei described as “evil” in internal messages, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Anthropic is preparing to go public on Nasdaq later this month. The company’s investor list now includes Founders Fund, the firm that originally backed Thiel, placing Thiel’s backers among Anthropic’s shareholders.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Dario Amodei ask OpenAI to stop accepting Peter Thiel's money?
Amodei was concerned that Thiel’s $1.25 million donation to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, combined with the U.S. moving toward authoritarianism, made it unsettling to work on militarily powerful technology.
When did Founders Fund invest in Anthropic?
Founders Fund made its first direct investment in Anthropic in February 2024, co‑leading a $30 billion funding round that valued Anthropic at $380 billion and contributed about $1.25 billion.
What was Peter Thiel's early involvement with OpenAI?
Thiel was an early supporter of OpenAI; when the nonprofit was established in December 2015, he was listed among donors alongside Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and Amazon Web Services, who together pledged $1 billion.