Zoom secures $1B return on 2023 Anthropic investment before new round
Zoom Communications said it has secured roughly $1 billion in cash returns through secondary share sales on its $150 million Anthropic stake from 2023. Anthropic's valuation is hovering near $900 billion ahead of an expected $30 billion funding round, and Zoom shares jumped 6.8% at the open.
Zoom Communications disclosed in a Friday 10-Q filing supplement that its February 2023 equity investment of $150 million in Anthropic has generated approximately $1 billion in cash returns over the past three quarters through secondary share sales. Zoom CFO Michelle Chang stated in the filing note that the proceeds 'will be redeployed into cross-team collaboration AI product development investments,' while analysts estimate that Anthropic's current private-market valuation has reached approximately $900 billion and that a planned $30 billion funding round will close in mid-September.
Zoom's initial stake was taken during Anthropic's Series C round, when the San Francisco-based AI firm was valued at $4.1 billion. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Anand Srinivasan said the return 'represents approximately 1.8 times Zoom's total 2024 R&D budget.' In the same period, Google Cloud — Anthropic's largest external backer — contributed an additional $4 billion, while Wedbush analyst Dan Ives projects Anthropic's annual recurring revenue will reach $8 billion in 2026.
Zoom stock (ZM) opened 6.8% higher Friday at $95.40, hitting an intraday high of $96.80. Other early Anthropic backers — Salesforce Ventures, Fidelity and Lightspeed — have similarly monetized part of their positions through comparable secondary transactions. This article is not an investment recommendation; AI-sector valuations may show significant volatility.
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