A bold claim sits at the core: Anthropic, the AI startup behind the Claude chatbot, is quietly positioning itself to launch one of the largest IPOs in tech history, potentially as soon as next year. That’s the takeaway from a Financial Times report this week.
To gear up for an IPO, Anthropic has brought in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a law firm with a track record handling major tech offerings for companies like Google, LinkedIn, and Lyft, according to FT’s sources familiar with the matter.
The company, led by CEO Dario Amodei, has also been pursuing a private financing round that could push its valuation beyond $300 billion, including a $15 billion combined pledge from Microsoft and Nvidia, the FT notes.
FT sources also indicate that Anthropic has started conversations with large investment banks about an IPO, though those talks are described as early and informal.
If the report proves accurate, Anthropic would join a race to the public markets with OpenAI, which has similarly been laying groundwork for a possible listing. Such listings would test investor appetite for loss-making AI startups amid lingering concerns about a so-called AI bubble.
Anthropic, for its part, pushed back on any timing or decision specifics. A spokesperson told the FT that operating at the scale and revenue level where a company can act as if it’s publicly traded is standard practice, and that no final call has been made about going public.
CNBC attempted to reach both Anthropic and Wilson Sonsini for comment.
According to FT insiders, Anthropic has been quietly preparing for a potential listing, though concrete details weren’t disclosed.
The FT report arrives amid several notable company developments, including the hiring of Krishna Rao, a former Airbnb executive who played a key role in Airbnb’s 2020 IPO, helping to position Anthropic for broader growth.
Recent reporting has pegged Anthropic’s valuation around the $350 billion mark after substantial funding rounds—up to $5 billion from Microsoft and $10 billion from Nvidia, as reported by CNBC.
In its bid to outpace OpenAI, Anthropic has been expanding aggressively, unveiling a $50 billion AI infrastructure expansion with data centers in Texas and New York, and tripling its international workforce.
The FT’s portrayal suggests investors are upbeat about a potential Anthropic IPO, with the possibility of Anthropic seizing momentum from OpenAI.
OpenAI, meanwhile, has indicated it isn’t pursuing a near-term listing, even as it recently closed a $6.6 billion share sale at a reported $500 billion valuation.
Would a public listing genuinely accelerate AI innovation and competition, or could it introduce new pressures that shape how these technologies evolve? Share your thoughts in the comments.
