VCs Are Betting on Both OpenAI and Anthropic, Breaking Unwritten Rules
Top venture firms are ditching the old playbook by backing direct AI competitors simultaneously.
Silicon Valley's unwritten rules are getting torched. Major VC firms are now investing in both OpenAI and Anthropic — direct competitors in the AI arms race.
Traditionally, backing rival startups was considered a cardinal sin in venture capital. It created conflicts of interest and made founders nervous about sharing sensitive information with their investors.
But the AI gold rush has changed the calculus entirely.
The stakes are so massive and the outcome so uncertain that top firms apparently can't resist hedging their bets. Why pick a winner when you can own pieces of multiple potential trillion-dollar outcomes?
This shift signals just how much the AI boom is reshaping venture capital norms. When the prize is big enough, even longstanding taboos become negotiable.