Anthropic, an AI safety and research company, has announced the appointment of Krishna Rao as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The announcement was made on May 21, 2024, according to a press release on the company's official website. Rao brings nearly two decades of strategic finance experience to the role, which is expected to drive the company's financial strategy and operations, especially as it advances its international expansion.
Rao's Impressive Career
Prior to joining Anthropic, Rao served as CFO at Fanatics Commerce and held key positions at other renowned companies. He led both the finance function and operational initiatives at Cedar, a healthcare payments and patient engagement platform. Furthermore, Rao served as Global Head of Corporate & Business Development and led Corporate and Operations FP&A at Airbnb, where he helped the company navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and played a crucial role in securing over $10 billion in equity and debt capital, including Airbnb’s IPO and private financings. He also spent time as a private equity investor at Blackstone and as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company. With a J.D. from Yale Law School and an A.B. in economics from Harvard College, Rao is expected to bring a unique blend of financial acumen, strategic thinking, and operational expertise to Anthropic.
Shared Excitement
Rao expressed his excitement about joining Anthropic at this stage of the company's journey and having the opportunity to work with the team to build a strong financial foundation that will support the responsible development and deployment of their technology. Daniela Amodei, co-founder and President of Anthropic, also expressed her enthusiasm about Rao's appointment. She highlighted Rao's deep expertise in financial strategy and analysis, capital allocation, and scaling high-growth organizations as essential elements that will guide Anthropic through its next phase of growth.
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