Anthropic has issued an unusual warning. Eight platforms are allegedly offering access to Anthropic shares — without the company’s permission. And Anthropic is making it clear: any purchase or sale through these providers is void.
The Blacklist
Anthropic names these platforms specifically: Open Doors Partners, Unicorns Exchange, Pachamama Capital, Lionheart Ventures, Hiive (new offerings), Forge Global (new offerings), Sydecar, and Upmarket. None of these companies are authorized to trade Anthropic stock.
The message is blunt: ‘Any sale or transfer of Anthropic stock, or any interest in Anthropic stock, offered by these firms is void and will not be recognized on our books and records.‘
Why This Is Happening
Anthropic is one of the hottest private companies in the world. Its last valuation was north of $60 billion. No surprise that platforms are trying to broker access to these shares — investor demand is enormous.
The problem: both Anthropic’s preferred and common stock are subject to transfer restrictions. Without board of directors approval, no transfer is valid. Anyone buying through one of these platforms is essentially buying nothing.
What This Means
For private investors eager to get in before a potential IPO, options are shrinking. The company is tightly controlling its secondary market. That’s not unusual for tech companies at this stage — SpaceX does the same.
But it also shows just how big the hype around Anthropic has become. When eight platforms simultaneously try to trade unauthorized shares, that tells you a lot about demand.
Sources: TechCrunch