SBF's Chad energy is the greatest regret, perhaps in another timeline FTX didn't rug.

By: theblockbeats.news|2026/02/09 14:00:52

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BlockBeats News, February 9th. As early as 2021, former OpenAI executive Dario Amodei and others founded the AI startup Anthropic to directly compete with ChatGPT. In April of the following year, FTX led by SBF announced a lead investment in Anthropic's new round of financing of $5.8 billion, contributing $5 billion. At that time, Anthropic was valued at around $25 billion, with FTX acquiring approximately 13.56% of the equity. The subsequent dilution in later rounds of financing reduced FTX's ownership to around 8%. The stage was set, as SBF, known for his long-termism and willingness to take AI risks, utilized client funds.

The bear market in 2022 dealt its final blow in November when FTX collapsed and went bankrupt, leading to SBF's arrest and eventual sentencing to 25 years in prison. Fast forward to 2024, FTX's bankruptcy administration team obtained court approval to sell its stake in Anthropic to repay creditors. Initially, two-thirds of the stake was sold to buyers such as the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, raising approximately $8.84 billion in cash. Following the final liquidation, FTX recovered a total of around $13 to $14 billion from its investment in Anthropic.

However, the AI frenzy had arrived, with giants like Amazon and Google aggressively investing in Anthropic, causing its valuation to soar. Currently, Anthropic is in talks for a new round of financing, with a pre-financing valuation of $350 billion. The deal could be finalized as early as this week, and if successful, the post-investment valuation will be even higher.

Ironically, FTX's bankruptcy valuation was around $32 billion. If they had held onto that roughly 8% stake, it might now be worth $280 billion or even more. If FTX hadn't collapsed, SBF could have potentially become one of the new richest individuals in the AI era through this Anthropic investment. Unfortunately, reality turned out differently. After FTX's bankruptcy liquidation, this stake became one of the most valuable assets in the bankruptcy estate, helping repay many victims. However, SBF himself missed out on the substantial appreciation while in prison.

-- Price

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