With AI, Investor Loyalty Is (Almost) Dead: At Least A Dozen OpenAI VCs Now Also Back Anthropic

AI investor loyalty fades as top VCs fund both OpenAI and Anthropic. What this means for the future of startup investing.
Matilda
With AI, Investor Loyalty Is (Almost) Dead: At Least A Dozen OpenAI VCs Now Also Back Anthropic
AI Investor Loyalty Faces Unprecedented Test What's happening to AI investor loyalty as top venture firms pour money into both OpenAI and Anthropic? Simply put, the traditional "founder-first" VC model is fracturing under the pressure of AI's astronomical valuations and winner-take-all stakes. Investors aren't abandoning principles—they're adapting to a market where missing the next breakthrough could cost billions. This shift raises urgent questions about conflicts of interest, strategic support, and whether startups can still trust their backers when rivals sit at the same cap table. Why Venture Firms Are Hedging Their AI Bets The numbers tell the story. OpenAI is finalizing a $100 billion funding round while Anthropic just closed a $30 billion raise. In this high-stakes environment, venture capital firms see diversification not as betrayal, but as survival. At least a dozen firms that backed OpenAI also participated in Anthropic's latest round, including …