The feds seized a stake in Anthropic from Sam Bankman-Fried's friends. What happened to the shares?

The United States government has completed the sale of shares in the AI company Anthropic. These specific assets were seized in 2025 from individuals identified as former FTX executives and friends of Sam Bankman-Fried. According to reports from Traders Union and Business Insider, the federal government took possession of these stakes as part of legal proceedings involving the leadership of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The disposal of these assets marks the end of the government's hold on this particular equity stake in one of the leading AI firms. Coverage from The Crypto Times and Startup Fortune emphasizes the timing and financial implications of this liquidation.

The Crypto Times reports that the U.S. government sold these stakes for an estimated amount ranging between $250 million and $1.1 billion. However, the coverage highlights a significant disparity between the sale price and the current market value of the company. Startup Fortune notes that these shares were sold before the valuation of Anthropic exploded, meaning the government exited the position prior to a massive increase in the company's perceived worth. This event is significant because it ties the collapse of the cryptocurrency market and the legal fallout surrounding Sam Bankman-Fried to the current boom in artificial intelligence. The shares were held by a circle associated with Bankman-Fried, representing a crossover between the high-risk crypto investments of the early 2020s and the generative AI surge of the mid-2020s.

The Crypto Times explicitly states that if the assets had been held longer, they would be worth billions of dollars today, underscoring the rapid growth trajectory of Anthropic since the seizure occurred in 2025. Observers are now focused on the total recovery value achieved by the federal government through this sale and how these funds will be handled. While the sale price is estimated to be up to $1.1 billion, the factual record focuses on the lost potential gains resulting from the timing of the liquidation. Further details regarding the specific buyers of the Anthropic shares or the exact date of the transaction have not been specified in the current coverage provided by Traders Union, Startup Fortune, Business Insider, and The Crypto Times.