Reed Hastings appointed to Anthropic’s board of directors
Today we announced that Reed Hastings, Chairman and co-founder of Netflix who served as its CEO for over 25 years, has been appointed to Anthropic's board of directors by our Long Term Benefit Trust. Hastings brings extensive experience from founding and scaling Netflix into a global entertainment powerhouse, along with his service on the boards of Facebook, Microsoft, and Bloomberg.
"The Long Term Benefit Trust appointed Reed because his impressive leadership experience, deep philanthropic work, and commitment to addressing AI's societal challenges make him uniquely qualified to guide Anthropic at this critical juncture in AI development," said Buddy Shah, Chair of Anthropic's Long Term Benefit Trust.
Hastings recently made a $50 million gift to Bowdoin College to establish a research initiative on AI and Humanity. The program examines how AI will transform work, relationships, and education, and develops ethical frameworks for its use. These are all areas that align closely with Anthropic's own research priorities.
Beyond his recent AI-focused giving, Hastings has spent decades working to expand opportunity in education and global development. He has donated hundreds of millions to charter school networks serving low-income U.S. communities and sits on the board of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)'s 275-school network. Internationally, he supports East African farmers through Kenya's One Acre Fund and subsidizes internet access in Rwanda, where he helped launch a program offering smartphones for ten times cheaper than they'd cost in the US.
Hastings said: "Anthropic is very optimistic about the AI benefits for humanity, but is also very aware of the economic, social, and safety challenges. I'm joining Anthropic's board because I believe in their approach to AI development, and to help humanity progress."
Hastings has seen first-hand how quickly transformative technologies can reshape society—and what happens when companies aren't prepared for that impact. As someone who's both built Netflix into a global platform and invested heavily in education reform and digital infrastructure in emerging markets, he brings a practical understanding of how to ensure technology serves broader societal goals from the start.
"Reed understands that technology companies have a responsibility beyond just building products," said Daniela Amodei, President of Anthropic. "His focus on the human impact of technology—whether at Netflix or through his global health and education initiatives—makes him an ideal addition to our board as we continue building AI that helps rather than harms."
With Hastings' appointment, the Trust continues to build a board with the diverse expertise needed to guide Anthropic's mission of developing reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.