Prime Highlight:
- Anthropic appointed legal and international affairs expert Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar to its Long-Term Benefit Trust.
- The move underscores the company’s focus on responsible AI governance amid rapid industry growth.
Key Facts:
- The Trust independently selects Anthropic’s board and advises leadership on long-term strategy.
- Founding members Kanika Bahl and Zachary Robinson have completed their terms on the Trust.
Background :
AI startup Anthropic on Tuesday announced the appointment of legal and international affairs expert Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar to its Long-Term Benefit Trust, an independent body that plays a key role in the company’s governance. The Trust selects Anthropic’s board members and offers guidance to senior leadership on long-term decisions.
Cuéllar brings extensive public service experience to the role. He has worked across three U.S. presidential administrations and previously served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of California. He currently chairs the board of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and leads the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Cuéllar will step down from the Carnegie role in July to take on senior leadership positions at Stanford University.
Commenting on his appointment, Cuéllar said the rapid growth of artificial intelligence has increased the need for governance models that balance innovation with public responsibility.
Alongside the new appointment, Anthropic confirmed that two Trust members, Evidence Action CEO Kanika Bahl and Centre for Effective Altruism CEO Zachary Robinson, have completed their terms. Both had served on the Trust since its creation and helped shape its early direction.
Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI research executives. While the idea of the Trust was included in early funding documents, the company publicly detailed its structure in 2023. The Trust operates independently, and its members do not hold financial stakes in Anthropic, whose valuation has climbed sharply in recent years.
According to the company, new Trust members are chosen by existing trustees in consultation with Anthropic. The group aims to guide the company in maximizing the benefits of advanced AI while reducing potential risks.
Anthropic President Daniela Amodei said the company values leaders who understand how technology affects society. She also thanked Bahl and Robinson for their contributions during the Trust’s early phase, calling their role critical to its foundation.
