Anthropic CTO on AI Safety in the Age of Exponential Growth | Rahul Patil

As AI models become more powerful, safety is emerging as one of the defining challenges of our time. Rahul Patil, CTO at Anthropic, joins SPC Partner Ankit Chowdhary to discuss why they prioritize AI safety above all else, how the company thinks about building reliable and trustworthy AI models, and the tradeoffs between speed, scale, and responsibility in the age of exponential growth. Rahul also shares his journey growing up in Bangalore, how he first fell in love with computer science, and advice for young builders navigating the current tech landscape. This conversation was recorded on the 17th of February, 2026. Rahul Patil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-patil-a0944836/ Ankit Chowdhary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankitcc/ South Park Commons: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/Apply to SPC: https://www.southparkcommons.com/applyCHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - Introduction + Rahul’s Core Philosophy(00:01:18) - Early Life: Falling in Love with Computer Science(00:03:07) - The “Minus One” Mindset: Curiosity Over Competition(00:05:24) - Chasing Exponential Trends and Scaled Impact(00:09:22) - Building for Dependability (Not Just Speed)(00:12:03) - Startup Tradeoffs: Speed vs. Safety (And Why It’s a False Choice)(00:18:17) - Why He Joined Anthropic (AI as the Biggest Shift Yet)(00:29:08) - Scaling Laws, Breakthroughs, and What Builders Should Do Now(00:42:20) - What Keeps Him Up at Night: The Next 100 Years in 5