Anthropic asks job candidates: would you be okay if the stock went to zero?
Anthropic candidates face blunt money question
Anthropic's culture interview includes a blunt question about prioritizing mission over money, asking candidates how they'd feel if the company's safety decisions sent the stock to zero. CEO Dario Amodei has worried that newer employees may not be joining for the right reasons. The question isn't scripted, and some candidates recall it as an actual stock crash while others see it as a safety-revenue trade-off. Meanwhile, candidates spend thousands on interview prep, and the company's career page mentions 'mission' six times.
I was honest and said no, I would not be happy if the stock went to 0. ... I would want to align doing the most good and remaining ethical while building a sustaining business. The interviewer didn't seem to like that answer.