·
·
Miscellaneous
A Brooklyn townhouse priced at $5.99 million is being offered with the option to pay using shares in the AI startup Anthropic or Bitcoin instead of cash.
The luxury real estate market in New York City has presented an unusual example of global economic shifts, as the owner of an upscale townhouse in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood has put the property on the market for $5.99 million. The seller is open to accepting equity in the AI startup Anthropic or Bitcoin as alternative payment methods to traditional cash.
This development highlights how shares in private companies are increasingly functioning as a form of currency, especially after Anthropic’s market valuation surpassed $1 trillion in secondary markets. The company has also recently filed a confidential registration for an anticipated initial public offering.
The multi-level home is located on a private lane adjacent to Domino Park and features four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and two half-baths. It includes a cellar with 12-foot ceilings and a private parking space equipped with an electric vehicle charger.
The interior design incorporates open spaces with wide white oak flooring and exposed concrete details. The upper balcony offers panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and Williamsburg Bridge, according to Business Insider.
Property records from the Zillow platform indicate the house was purchased in 2016 for $4.17 million. It was relisted in August 2025 at $6.5 million before undergoing two price reductions to its current $5.99 million asking price.
This is not the first instance of such unconventional transactions in the American real estate sector. Another notable case involved a historic home built in 1907 in San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood. The owner listed the property for $2.995 million and expressed willingness to accept shares in OpenAI and Anthropic as part of the payment.
This emerging trend reflects growing investor confidence in the long-term value of advanced technology assets compared to traditional cash liquidity. Real estate developers and investors now regard AI company shares not merely as deferred securities but as sovereign assets capable of settling major physical-world transactions.
This shift reveals how artificial intelligence is permeating unexpected areas of daily life. For example, a $2.95 million home in San Francisco is accepting stock from leading AI firms OpenAI or Anthropic as payment, effectively turning private AI shares into a form of housing currency. This situation highlights a peculiar aspect of the AI boom: many employees appear wealthy on paper due to equity holdings, but liquidity remains a challenge.
