Amazon's $190 billion Anthropic stake linked to FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried
Amazon's Anthropic stake has a Sam Bankman-Fried link
Amazon's balance sheet includes a $190 billion investment in the AI company Anthropic, and part of that investment is tied to Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the crypto exchange FTX.
Bankman-Fried invested in Anthropic directly and also funded an organization that later became METR, a group that evaluates the safety of AI models used by Amazon and Anthropic.
Key connections
- Bankman-Fried bought a $500 million stake in Anthropic in April 2022 using FTX customer funds, according to a report cited by Protos.
- A predecessor of METR received $1.25 million from FTX's effective altruism charity in July 2022, four months before FTX collapsed.
- METR returned that donation in 2024, saying the money morally belonged to FTX customers or creditors.
- Amazon's latest quarterly filing shows it holds about $98 billion in Anthropic convertible notes and roughly $92 billion in non-voting preferred stock.
- METR has also worked directly with Amazon, piloting a review of Amazon's own AI model in 2025.
What the SEC filing shows
Amazon's second-quarter 10-Q filing, submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), discloses the company's equity holdings in Anthropic. The filing lists the $190 billion total investment, broken down into convertible notes and preferred stock.
What is confirmed
Amazon's regulatory filing confirms its $190 billion investment in Anthropic. METR confirmed it returned the $1.25 million donation from FTX, saying it believed the money belonged to FTX customers or creditors. Bankman-Fried's purchase of a $500 million Anthropic stake is reported by the New York Post, not confirmed by official documents in this article.
What is still unclear
The article reports that METR received funding from FTX's charity and has staff with effective altruism ties, but it does not provide official confirmation of all these details. The exact nature of the relationship between Amazon's investment and Bankman-Fried's involvement is partly based on reporting from other news outlets.
Why it matters
Amazon's large investment in Anthropic and its ties to METR, which provides safety assurances for AI models, raise questions about the independence and background of AI safety evaluations. The involvement of a figure like Bankman-Fried adds a layer of controversy to the financial and ethical dimensions of the AI industry.
What happens next
The article does not specify any upcoming events or next steps. It notes that METR continues to receive support from effective altruism-linked foundations, but does not announce any changes.
Sources
Newisty Editorial Team covers technology, cryptocurrency, digital products, online platforms, developer tools and the wider digital economy. Our content is researched from official sources, company announcements, public documentation, market data and other primary or reputable sources. Articles are reviewed and edited before publication for clarity, accuracy and useful context.