Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings joins board of AI company Anthropic

Reed Hastings, the co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, has joined the board of US-headquartered AI safety and research firm Anthropic.

Reed Hastings

The company, whose stated mission is to build AI tools to benefit humans, said Hastings is “uniquely qualified to guide Anthropic at this critical juncture in AI development” due to his leadership experience, past philanthropic work and his “commitment to addressing AI’s societal challenges.”

Hastings, who stood down as Netflix CEO in 2023 but remains as chairman, has held several board seats at big tech companies, including Microsoft, Meta and Bloomberg. He was appointed to Anthropic’s board via the company’s Long Term Benefit Trust.

Anthropic, which is a competitor of other major AI players such as OpenAI, Microsoft and Google, was valued at around US$61.5bn earlier this year.

The company’s stated belief is that AI can “accelerate scientific discoveries, revolutionise healthcare, enhance our education system and create entirely new domains for human creativity and innovation.” However, at the same time it concedes that the development of such advanced AI models presents challenges and risks that “warrant careful study and effective safeguards.”

Hastings has long been involved in philanthropic work, and recently made a US$50m gift to Bowdoin College to establish a research initiative on “AI and humanity.” He has also previously donated hundreds of millions of dollars to philanthropic causes in the US and internationally.

“Anthropic is very optimistic about the AI benefits for humanity, but is also very aware of the economic, social and safety challenges,” said Hastings. “I’m joining Anthropic’s board because I believe in their approach to AI development, and to help humanity progress.”