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Public Benefit Corporation
A for-profit company structure that legally requires balancing shareholder returns with a stated public-good mission.
Definition
A Public Benefit Corporation is a type of for-profit company, recognized in Delaware and other US states, whose charter commits it to pursue a specific public benefit alongside shareholder profit. Its board is legally protected for weighing that mission against short-term financial returns, rather than having to maximize shareholder value alone. Several major AI labs, including Anthropic and OpenAI's for-profit arm, are structured this way, often paired with nonprofit oversight, as a way to pursue commercial AI development while keeping a safety- or benefit-focused mission legally binding rather than just a stated intention.