Daniela Amodei, co-founder of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, reportedly used stuffed animals as tools for managerial role-playing while working at OpenAI. According to a recently published account, Amodei and her husband, Holden Karnofsky, assigned names and distinct personalities to a collection of plush toys, which they referred to as a “personal advisory council.” This practice, dating back to Amodei’s tenure at OpenAI prior to Anthropic’s establishment, was described in an excerpt from journalist Kevin Roose’s upcoming book, *The AGI Chronicles: The Inside Story of the Race to Create an Artificial Superintelligence*.

The animals, including a lazy cat named Jinji, a detail-oriented pink bear named Maura, and a generous panda called Beary Bonds, were given detailed character profiles. Each animal symbolized different managerial traits or leadership styles; for instance, Jinji encouraged canceling meetings and reducing workload, while Beary Bonds was linked to empathy and generosity, reflecting the couple’s connection to the effective altruism movement. Amodei reportedly found this method both humorous and practical for exploring different interpersonal and organizational dynamics.

The role-playing sessions were largely kept private within OpenAI, with only a handful of employees aware of the practice. Even those familiar with it expressed uncertainty about how seriously Amodei relied on the stuffed animals’ “advice,” according to the report. These sessions coincided with a period during which Amodei and her brother, Dario Amodei—who is now Anthropic’s CEO—grew increasingly dissatisfied with the leadership and culture at OpenAI. The siblings resigned from OpenAI in December 2020 before founding Anthropic.

The revelations come amid Anthropic’s pursuit of a potential initial public offering, which could value the company at approximately $2 trillion. This development is occurring alongside an intensifying investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into Anthropic, OpenAI, and other leading AI research laboratories. The probe focuses on market competition and safety concerns related to advanced AI technologies.

While the stuffed animal exercise may appear unconventional, for Amodei it was a strategic tool to analyze and manage complex workplace relationships during a pivotal time in the development of artificial intelligence research organizations.