Anthropic CEO Backs $500 Million Revenue Cutoff to Help Small Rivals End Frontier Lab Dominance

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, stated that AI regulation should be used to curb the power of frontier labs by providing a competitive edge to smaller challengers. Responding to criticism from investor Gavin Baker, Amodei cited California’s SB 53, which exempts companies with less than $500 million in revenue or training costs from compliance burdens. He voiced support for a reported Trump administration strategy focusing on pre-deployment testing for frontier models and open-weights systems.

Amodei denied that his warnings about AI risks contributed to public mistrust, calling the trend a "crisis of trust" in the technology industry. He pointed to Anthropic's efforts in biology and medicine as the primary way to rebuild credibility, forecasting that AI could cure most human diseases in 5 to 10 years. This expansion aims to deliver concrete results that Amodei believes will prove more effective than marketing campaigns in restoring trust.