‘Why I Put $35 Million Into Anthropic’ — Guy Oseary
In a Nutshell
Guy Oseary invested $35M in Anthropic at a $5B valuation after spotting AI's potential the day ChatGPT launched, drawing on his prior success timing the iPhone/App Store wave with investments in Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify. He and Ashton Kutcher raised a dedicated AI fund and deployed 80% of capital within a three-month window by leveraging connections like Marc Benioff to access top founders and secure deals. Oseary continues backing exceptional talent across sectors from his Hollywood base, offering narrative, marketing, and partnership value rather than operating as a traditional Silicon Valley investor.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Guy Oseary invested $35 million into Anthropic at a $5 billion valuation. The company's most recent round reached approximately $965 billion. This investment has already generated a significant multiple.
Oseary's interest in AI began when ChatGPT launched on November 30, 2022, which coincided with his father's birthday. He described the moment as life-changing, comparing it to first hearing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," when he pulled over his car and thought, "What is this?" After ChatGPT's release, he obsessively showed the technology to every artist and actor he encountered.
He immediately called Ashton Kutcher and declared they needed to invest in OpenAI, calling it the greatest thing he had ever seen. Oseary draws on pattern recognition from his earlier career. When the iPhone and App Store launched, he and Kutcher started their fund at exactly the right moment, enabling unprecedented company scaling. They achieved major success with companies including Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify.
Oseary recognized the same opportunity with foundational AI models, believing these systems would become the infrastructure through which people access technology over the next 10 to 15 years.
Oseary and Kutcher identified a narrow 3-month window to invest in foundational AI models. ChatGPT launched on November 30, 2022, leaving little time before the Christmas break. In January 2023, they began pitching LPs on a dedicated foundational AI model fund.
Sign in to read the full notes
Get access to AI-generated notes, topic timestamps, and more.