Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei earned $18 million in total compensation in 2025, putting him ahead of the CEOs of Alphabet and Amazon but well behind some of the biggest pay packages in the tech industry. The disclosure was unveiled after the AI company prepares for a potential IPO that could value it at more than $2 trillion.
Amodei's compensation was disclosed in Anthropic's S-1 filing ahead of its planned public debut. While the $18 million package is substantial, it is relatively modest compared with the hundreds of millions awarded to some other Big Tech executives.
Amodei and his sister, Anthropic President Daniela Amodei, both saw their base salaries double to $1.4 million in July. But, as is common with tech executives, salary accounted for only a small part of their overall compensation. Daniela Amodei received a total package of $16.4 million in 2025, Reuters reported.
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Anthropic's board has also awarded the two executives additional equity in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). The awards are tied partly to continued employment and partly to a potential IPO.
How Amodei's pay compares with other tech CEOs
Amodei's $18 million compensation places him roughly in the middle of the pay scale among major US technology executives. Andreessen Horowitz's research and other industry data show that ChatGPT rival Anthropic is rapidly approaching a potential $2 trillion valuation, but its CEO's pay remains well below the biggest executive packages.
Equilar research director Courtney Yu said Amodei's compensation is relatively modest for a company that could be valued at $2 trillion. His eventual wealth could also depend heavily on Anthropic's IPO and the value of his equity.
Yu noted that Anthropic has seven co-founders, meaning Amodei's eventual financial gain could be smaller than that of founders who hold a larger individual stake in their companies.
How much do they get paid?
Daniela Amodei's total compensation reached $16.4 million in 2025, despite her base salary being the same $1.4 million as her brother's.
Anthropic CFO Krishna Rao received $720,250 in compensation last year. He also exercised options worth $385,285 in 2025 after receiving options for 1.4 million shares when he joined the company in 2024.
Amodei's pay looks relatively modest against some of the largest executive packages disclosed in recent SEC filings.
Oracle co-CEO Clayton Magouyrk received $627.5 million in 2025, making him one of the highest-paid executives in the group. Elon Musk, meanwhile, received only $54,080 as SpaceX CEO before the company's public listing.
SpaceX has nevertheless structured a potentially enormous upside for Musk, with a tranche of super-voting restricted shares tied to the company reaching a $7.5 trillion valuation and successfully sending one million people to Mars.
Executive pay at S&P 500 companies also rose sharply last year. Average compensation increased 21% to $22.8 million, according to AFL-CIO data, highlighting the widening gap between executive earnings and rank-and-file wages.
The surge in AI investment and the growing value of companies such as Anthropic have also renewed debate over whether the rapid adoption of AI could further widen economic inequality.
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