Google has invested more in one of OpenAI’s main competitors than previously thought

San Francisco startup Anthropic is often seen as an independent player in the AI ​​space, but it has been revealed to have deeper ties to Google than previously thought, the New York Times reported, citing court documents.

Image source: anthropic.com

Google, which owns 14% of Anthropic, plans to pump another $750 million into the company this year through a convertible debt deal. Google’s total investment in Anthropic now exceeds $3 billion.

Despite the lack of voting rights, board seats, and direct control over the company, Google’s financial backing raises questions about how independent Anthropic really is. AI startups increasingly receive funding from tech giants, and regulators are investigating whether such deals give market participants an unfair advantage. The US Justice Department has previously rejected a proposal to force the sale of shares obtained in this way.

Google, which itself is developing powerful AI projects, is funding its own competitors, which clearly indicates hedging – a desire to protect against losing in a competitive struggle, to profit from any outcome of such a struggle, and to diversify risks. Amazon is also actively investing in Anthropic – to date, the size of the investment from the e-commerce giant has reached $8 billion. And this adds particular urgency to the question of what such connections mean for Anthropic and other AI startups: it is increasingly unclear whether it still makes sense to consider them as independent companies, or whether they are already complementary to the assets of tech giants.