What’s really fueling the recent generosity boom
Generosity is in the air, or so it would seem. The Trump administration recently mailed a round of $500 checks to almost a million users of Healthcare.gov. The AI rivals OpenAI and Anthropic have promised to share their (eventual) wealth with the public beyond investors, and Anthropic this week got a bit more specific, proposing a Public Benefit Fund pegged at 5% of the company’s overall value.…
Generosity has been on the rise recently, with several powerful institutions making large donations. The Trump administration mailed out $500 checks to almost a million users of Healthcare.gov, while AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic have pledged to share their future wealth with the public. Anthropic specifically proposed a Public Benefit Fund, to be valued at 5% of the company's overall value.
Elon Musk even pledged to give every kid in America a share in SpaceX, promising to give one share apiece to around 73 million people. Each of these schemes serves as reputational marketing for the institutions involved. The government checks are straightforward, accompanied by a letter from President Trump, while Anthropic's Public Benefit Fund aims to address concerns about AI's potential risks.
Musk's pledge to give shares to every kid in America directly counters Anthropic's approach, positioning himself as the most generous. While generosity does have positive effects, the immediate benefit lies in the publicity and positive perception generated by such acts.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
