An English literature graduate Daniela Amodei on leaving OpenAI to found Anthropic: Looked crazy thing to do, but …
AI giant Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei has spoken candidly about the difficult decision to leave OpenAI in late 2020, describing it as “kind of a crazy thing to do.” As reported by Benzinga, recently speaking at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Amodei recalled the uncertainty she and her brother Dario Amodei faced weighing whether to continue working at OpenAI to strike out on their own. Amodei said that the turning point came during a conversation with a trusted mentor, who told her: “Honestly, I don’t think you really need to be on the phone with me. You already know what the right answer is.” That simple statement reframed her thinking. “When you’re in a moment of, ‘Is this the right thing for my life?’ often you actually know what the right answer is,” she explained, adding that the advice helped her trust her own judgment and ultimately leave OpenAI to co‑founded Anthropic.
Transitioning from literature graduate to tech leaderBefore entering AI, Amodei studied English literature at UC Santa Cruz and then joined fintech unicorn Stripe in 2013 as a founding recruiter. After completing the studies she later spent around three years at rival company OpenAI, rising to the post of vice president. As per Forbes, her net worth is estimated around $7 billion, reflecting Anthropic’s meteoric rise.
Anthropic’s rapid growthFounded in 2021, Anthropic has quickly become a major rival to OpenAI. Recently, Anthropic became the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence startup overtaking OpenAI after a blockbuster $65 billion Series H financing round which pushed the valuation to $965 billion. Anthropic’s increased validation surpassed OpenAI’s $852 billion valuation. According to a report by CNBC, the latest funding round was led by Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks, and Sequoia Capital, nearly tripling Anthropic’s valuation from $380 billion in February. The financing also included $15 billion of previously committed investments, including $5 billion from Amazon.
Anthropic also reported a $47 billion revenue run rate, up from $30 billion earlier this year and $10 billion in 2025. Most of this growth of Anthropic is driven by its popular AI coding assistant Claude Code, which has become the staple tool of many enterprises.
Daniela Amodei has 'trick' for entrepreneurs looking for co-foundersRecently, Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei shared a simple suggestion for entrepreneurs seeking the right business partner. She believes taking a vacation together before starting a company will help entrepreneurs find the most suitable partners for their startup(s). Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Amodei said spending extended time together outside work can reveal whether a partnership is likely to survive the pressures of building a start-up.
According to a report by Fortune, Amodei said, “Instead of starting a company together, go on vacation together. Share a room with them. Be like, ‘How did that go?’ And if you’re like, ‘Man, all I wanna do is spend more time with you,’ great. If you’re like, ‘Really, I’m gonna need a vacation to recover from my vacation,’ it might be the wrong choice.”
Transitioning from literature graduate to tech leaderBefore entering AI, Amodei studied English literature at UC Santa Cruz and then joined fintech unicorn Stripe in 2013 as a founding recruiter. After completing the studies she later spent around three years at rival company OpenAI, rising to the post of vice president. As per Forbes, her net worth is estimated around $7 billion, reflecting Anthropic’s meteoric rise.
Anthropic’s rapid growthFounded in 2021, Anthropic has quickly become a major rival to OpenAI. Recently, Anthropic became the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence startup overtaking OpenAI after a blockbuster $65 billion Series H financing round which pushed the valuation to $965 billion. Anthropic’s increased validation surpassed OpenAI’s $852 billion valuation. According to a report by CNBC, the latest funding round was led by Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks, and Sequoia Capital, nearly tripling Anthropic’s valuation from $380 billion in February. The financing also included $15 billion of previously committed investments, including $5 billion from Amazon.
Anthropic also reported a $47 billion revenue run rate, up from $30 billion earlier this year and $10 billion in 2025. Most of this growth of Anthropic is driven by its popular AI coding assistant Claude Code, which has become the staple tool of many enterprises.
Daniela Amodei has 'trick' for entrepreneurs looking for co-foundersRecently, Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei shared a simple suggestion for entrepreneurs seeking the right business partner. She believes taking a vacation together before starting a company will help entrepreneurs find the most suitable partners for their startup(s). Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Amodei said spending extended time together outside work can reveal whether a partnership is likely to survive the pressures of building a start-up.
According to a report by Fortune, Amodei said, “Instead of starting a company together, go on vacation together. Share a room with them. Be like, ‘How did that go?’ And if you’re like, ‘Man, all I wanna do is spend more time with you,’ great. If you’re like, ‘Really, I’m gonna need a vacation to recover from my vacation,’ it might be the wrong choice.”
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