**[Anthropic Values Twisted Like a Pretzel: High Salaries Offered, But Asked If You’d Support Stock Going to Zero]** Beating AI News Flash: Anthropic recently added a rather extreme values question to its cultural interviews: If the company decided to prioritize AI safety over pushing forward, leading to its stock becoming worthless, would you still support it? This isn’t a standardized question, but multiple candidates have encountered similar “money vs. safety” dilemmas. Some have even stumbled on this question. On Blind, one candidate shared that they honestly answered, “Of course I wouldn’t be happy if the stock went to zero,” expressing hope that the company could uphold its moral principles while still running a successful business. However, their impression was that the interviewer didn’t seem to like this response. The ironic part is that Anthropic itself is very generous when it comes to attracting talent. Job postings often offer compensation packages exceeding $250,000, and some candidates are even willing to spend $4,600 to hire someone to specifically coach them for Anthropic interviews. The company’s website explicitly states that it provides competitive salaries and equity. At the same time, CEO Dario Amodei has started worrying whether new hires are only motivated by money. This seems to be Anthropic’s version of “afraid your brother is struggling, but also afraid your brother is driving a Range Rover.” They’ll give you high salaries and equity, but they’re also concerned you might care too much about the money. If the day ever comes when the stock hits zero, you’ll still need to prove that your primary concern is the “mission.” Interestingly, the last value listed on Anthropic’s careers page is called “Mission First,” and it’s written quite plainly: the mission is the “ultimate arbiter” when the company makes decisions. [Original Link]