US Government Sells FTX-Linked Anthropic Stake for $627M

US Government Liquidates FTX-Linked AI Investment

The US government has sold a massive stock position in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic for $627 million. The shares were originally purchased by former executives of the fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX and its sister firm, Alameda Research.

According to regulatory documents, the cash proceeds from this sale are being directed back to the FTX bankruptcy estate. This money will help repay customers and creditors who lost funds during the exchange's collapse in late 2022.

How Did the US Government End Up with Anthropic Stock?

Back in 2022, Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh made an early venture bet on Anthropic. They invested $50 million of corporate funds into the emerging AI company.

Ellison served as the chief executive of Alameda Research, while Singh was a senior engineering executive at FTX. Just months after their investment, both firms collapsed into bankruptcy.

Both executives later pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges. They cooperated with authorities and testified against FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who is now serving a 25-year prison sentence.

As part of their plea agreements, federal courts ordered Ellison and Singh to forfeit their assets to the government. This legally transferred their 4,453,900 Series B Anthropic shares to federal authorities by April 2025 as proceeds of crime.

What Anthropic's IPO Filing Reveals

On October 26, Anthropic filed its S-1 registration statement with regulators. This essential paperwork prepares the company for a public stock listing on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ANT.

The legal filing does not directly name Ellison or Singh. Instead, it describes a specific transaction involving 4,453,900 Series B shares.

The shares had been forfeited by former holders in legal proceedings to which we were not a party.

Reporting from Business Insider confirmed that this share count matches the original $50 million investment made by the former FTX executives.

In October 2025, Anthropic repurchased the stock from the US government at a price of $140.9676 per share. The company then resold those same shares at cost to nine private institutional buyers.

Where Did the Cash Go?

The $627 million generated from the sale went straight into the FTX bankruptcy recovery pool. Court documents show that the Department of Justice transferred approximately $638 million to the bankruptcy estate in late 2025.

One of the Justice Department’s top priorities is returning forfeited funds to victims through the asset forfeiture program whenever the law allows.

The bankruptcy estate has been using these recovered funds to distribute payments to former exchange users in structured rounds. For example, creditors received a $900 million distribution in July.

Who Got the Upside and What Comes Next?

The US Marshals Service managed the auction process for the forfeited stock. The nine undisclosed buyers acquired the equity at cost price.

If Anthropic achieves high-end private valuations of up to $1.5 trillion in future growth scenarios, these shares could theoretically be worth up to $3.94 billion. However, public market values fluctuate based on demand, economic conditions, and company earnings.

This sale follows a prior transaction in 2024. During that round, the FTX estate directly sold Sam Bankman-Fried's separate $500 million Anthropic stake for $1.3 billion.

Once Anthropic completes its debut on the Nasdaq exchange, public market trading will establish the open market price for all remaining shares.