Feds Sell Seized Anthropic Shares for $627 Million — But Miss Out on Billions

The US government has sold its stake in AI startup Anthropic for $627 million, shares that were seized from associates of convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The sale, revealed in court filings, marks a significant recovery for creditors of the collapsed crypto exchange. However, the timing means the government missed out on a far larger windfall: Anthropic's valuation has soared since the seizure, and the shares could have been worth billions if held longer. The stake originated from investments made by Bankman-Fried's friends using funds traced back to FTX customer deposits. While the $627 million adds to the billions already recovered for victims, the gap between the sale price and Anthropic's current worth underscores the challenge of liquidating volatile tech assets in bankruptcy proceedings. The sale also highlights the growing intersection of crypto fraud recoveries and the AI boom, as Anthropic has become one of the most valuable private companies in the world. For FTX creditors, every dollar recovered matters, but the government's decision to sell now rather than hold raises questions about maximizing returns in fast-moving tech markets.