The U.S. government previously seized Anthropic shares held by two key allies of former FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried — Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh — and sold those stakes to existing Anthropic investors in 2025. Even so, the identities of the buyers, the sale price, and the amount ultimately received by the government have not been disclosed.
A court had earlier ruled that Ellison and Singh must forfeit their Anthropic holdings. The U.S. government took control of their shares in February and April 2025, respectively. The two had originally invested $10 million and $40 million in Anthropic’s 2022 Series B round.
As Anthropic’s valuation climbed sharply, the value of those stakes rose with it. UCLA professor Olav Sorenson estimated that, based on the company’s stated $96.5 billion valuation in May this year, the combined holdings were worth about $4.17 billion to $5.03 billion. If Anthropic were to go public at a $2 trillion valuation in the future, the stakes could be worth around $5.44 billion.
It also remains unclear how much the government realized from the sale. Estimates cited in the report suggest proceeds could have ranged from roughly $250 million to $1.1 billion depending on when in 2025 the transaction took place. As of the end of June 2026, those proceeds did not appear to have entered the FTX bankruptcy estate.
According to ChainCatcher, the U.S. government previously seized Anthropic shares held by Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh, two key allies of former FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and sold those holdings to existing Anthropic investors in 2025. The identities of the buyers, the transaction price, and the amount received by the government have not been made public.
A court had earlier ruled that Ellison and Singh must forfeit their Anthropic shares. The U.S. government took control of their holdings in February 2025 and April 2025, respectively. The two had invested $10 million and $40 million, respectively, in Anthropic’s 2022 Series B financing round.
As Anthropic’s valuation surged, the value of those stakes increased sharply. UCLA professor Olav Sorenson estimated that, based on Anthropic’s announced $96.5 billion valuation in May this year, the combined value of the two holdings stood at about $4.17 billion to $5.03 billion. If Anthropic were to go public at a $2 trillion valuation in the future, those shares could be worth around $5.44 billion.
The price at which the U.S. government sold the shares remains unclear. Estimates show that if the sale took place at different points in 2025, the proceeds may have ranged from about $250 million to $1.1 billion.
As of the end of June 2026, the sale proceeds did not appear to have been transferred into the FTX bankruptcy estate. Sunil Kavuri, a representative of FTX victims, said the government should use the funds to compensate victims. The U.S. Department of Justice said it prioritizes compensating victims from forfeited assets, but information related to asset sales and distribution of funds is confidential.
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