"We went from $1.4 billion to $4.5 billion in ARR in just four months."
From OpenAI to Anthropic: Building AI with safety at its core
On August 1, 2025, Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic, sat down with The Big Technology podcast for an in-depth conversation about his journey from OpenAI to building one of the world’s most valuable AI safety companies.
From Personal Tragedy to AI Leadership
Amodei opened the interview by reflecting on his formative years, including the profound impact of his father’s death from illness. This personal loss shaped his perspective on technology’s potential to address fundamental human challenges. His career trajectory took him from being recruited by Andrew Ng to join Baidu’s AI team, to becoming a key figure at OpenAI where he led the development and release of GPT-2 and GPT-3.
The OpenAI Split
When asked about his departure from OpenAI, Amodei candidly discussed the internal disagreements that ultimately led to his exit. “There were fundamental differences in how we viewed AI safety and the pace of deployment,” he explained. The tensions between different factions within OpenAI’s leadership eventually prompted him and several colleagues to establish Anthropic in 2021.
Remarkable Growth Trajectory
Amodei shared impressive financial metrics: Anthropic has achieved tenfold revenue growth year-over-year since its founding. By July 2025, the company’s valuation had surpassed $60 billion, with annualized recurring revenue jumping from $1.4 billion in March to nearly $4.5 billion by July 2025.
Response to Industry Criticism
Addressing NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s criticism that Anthropic claims “only they can develop safe AI,” Amodei responded measured but firmly: “We’re not saying we’re the only ones who can do this. We’re saying this work requires fundamental commitment and resources, not just lip service to safety.”
Rate Limiting Controversy
Amodei also clarified recent decisions to strengthen usage rate limits, explaining that certain developers’ excessive usage patterns were impacting the company’s profitability. “We need to balance accessibility with sustainable operations,” he noted.
The Path Forward
Looking ahead, Amodei emphasized that Anthropic’s mission remains unchanged: building AI systems that are not only powerful but fundamentally safe and aligned with human values. “The question isn’t whether AI will transform society—it’s whether we’ll build it responsibly,” he concluded.