Dario Amodei is an American scientist, entrepreneur, and the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, a leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab focused on AI safety and alignment. Born in San Francisco in 1983, his intellectual drive was almost entirely focused on math and physics. He grew up with his sister, Daniela Amodei, who is the President of Anthropic.

Amodei attended Caltech before transferring to Stanford University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Physics. He then secured a PhD in Physics from Princeton University, with his dissertation winning the prestigious Hertz Thesis Prize. His research at Princeton focused on the retina and biological systems, where he co-invented a new sensor to pick up more data. This quest for fundamental scientific truth, combined with his recognition that complex biological problems were beyond human scale, led him to transition to AI research, seeking technological solutions to complex human challenges.

Dario Amodei began his career in AI research at the highest level, first at Google Brain and later as a key executive and researcher at OpenAI. His work was foundational, covering areas like large language models and deep learning systems. The pivotal moment came in 2020 when he and his sister, Daniela Amodei, along with other colleagues, left OpenAI to co-found Anthropic.

Their founding motivation was to build an AI lab with a structural commitment to AI safety, ethics, and alignment—a red team approach they felt was necessary for future powerful AI systems. As CEO, Dario guides the scientific and technical vision, leading the development of the Claude family of models. This dedication to safety and advanced research has secured billions in funding from major tech firms and venture capital, cementing his multi-billion dollar fortune and his legacy as a founder who prioritized AI governance and safety over speed.

Dario Amodei's social impact is massive and structural, stemming from Anthropic's commitment to AI safety and alignment research. His work is critical to ensuring that future powerful AI systems are developed in an ethically responsible manner, a foundational contribution to global technology governance and long-term human welfare.

His personal philanthropy supports scientific research and education, reflecting his background as a science scholar. His career is a rare example of a highly credentialed academic translating deep theoretical physics and computer science knowledge into a major commercial venture for a critical societal mission.

Dario Amodei maintains the functional, intellectual style of a leading AI researcher. His attire is consistently practical and unostentatious, favoring comfortable shirts and slacks. His aesthetic is anti-glamour, centered on the intellectual challenge of decoding human biology and building safe AI systems.

Residing in San Francisco, California, his luxury is the autonomy to command immense financial resources to pursue his mission-driven research. His life is dedicated to leveraging mathematics and computer science to address problems beyond human scale.