Anthropic has hired longtime Google security researcher Ben Hawkes to lead the cybersecurity mission of its Frontier Red Team, adding a veteran vulnerability researcher as AI systems become increasingly capable of carrying out sophisticated cyber tasks.
Hawkes announced the move on X, saying he was joining Anthropic to lead cybersecurity for the Frontier Red Team. He will work alongside the head of the Frontier Red Team, Logan Graham.
"In my career I’ve never seen a clearer opportunity to build a more secure world for everyone. For 40 years we’ve lived with fundamentally insecure technology. What will it take to make the past 40 years of hacking a historical oddity? That’s what I’m here to find out," Hawkes wrote.
Prior to joining Anthropic, Hawkes spent more than 12 years at Google, including nearly seven years as a lead for Project Zero, the company’s security research team known for uncovering vulnerabilities in widely used software and hardware. He later served as an ISE Systems Team Lead before leaving Google in September 2026.
He also founded security research company Isosceles, according to his LinkedIn profile.
His move to Anthropic comes as the company’s Frontier Red Team expands its focus on how advanced AI could be used in cyberattacks and other high-risk applications.
Anthropic has reported rapid improvements in its models’ ability to perform cybersecurity tasks. In a 2025 assessment, the company said Claude had progressed significantly on capture-the-flag challenges involving software vulnerabilities, highlighting how quickly AI capabilities in cyber research were advancing.
The company has since expanded its red-team research into areas including cryptography, autonomous systems, intelligence targeting and weapons development.
Other recent hires
Anthropic has been building out its roster, hiring professionals across the artificial intelligence and technology spectrum.
Earlier this month, the company hired Matt Clifford as its Managing Director of International Affairs. Clifford will lead the company’s engagement with governments across Europe, Asia-Pacific and beyond.
In August, Anthropic appointed Robert Mahari as the company’s first head of Claude for Legal. Mahari will work alongside Mark Pike, who has led product efforts for Anthropic’s legal vertical. Together, they will help shape and expand the company’s legal AI offerings.
In May, Anthropic hired Andrej Karpathy, a co-founder of OpenAI and former director of artificial intelligence and Autopilot Vision at Tesla.
Anthropic is targeting an initial public offering that could rival or exceed the record set by SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX), highlighting just how much investor enthusiasm has built around the artificial intelligence industry.
SpaceX targeted $75 billion for its IPO and ultimately raised about $86.2 billion once the overallotment option was exercised. Anthropic is looking to match or exceed that record.
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