Anthropic, the San Francisco‑based AI startup best known for its Claude chatbot, has entered early discussions about launching what could become one of the largest initial public offerings of the coming year, according to a report from the Financial Times.
To prepare for a potential IPO, Anthropic has retained the services of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a law firm that previously guided high‑profile tech listings such as Google, LinkedIn and Lyft.
The company, led by chief executive Dario Amodei, is also exploring a private financing round that could push its valuation beyond $300 billion. The round is expected to include a combined $15 billion commitment from Microsoft and Nvidia.
In parallel, Anthropic has begun informal talks with several major investment banks about underwriting a future listing. Sources familiar with the process describe those conversations as preliminary and non‑binding.
If the reports are accurate, Anthropic would be positioning itself directly against rival OpenAI, which is reportedly laying the groundwork for a public offering of its own. Both companies would test the market’s appetite for fast‑growing, yet still loss‑making, AI ventures at a time when investors are increasingly wary of an “AI bubble.”
Anthropic’s spokesperson told the Financial Times that it is common practice for companies of its scale and revenue profile to operate as if they were publicly traded, but added that no final decision on timing or the mechanics of a public float has been made.
Efforts to confirm details with Anthropic or Wilson Sonsini were unsuccessful. The law firm has advised Anthropic on multiple matters over the past few years, including its partnership with Amazon.
According to the Financial Times, Anthropic is already working through internal preparations for a possible listing, although specific milestones have not been disclosed.
Recent strategic hires underscore the company’s ambition. Former Airbnb executive Krishna Rao, who played a pivotal role in Airbnb’s 2020 IPO, joined Anthropic to head its corporate development and finance functions.
Last month, industry sources indicated that Anthropic’s valuation had risen to roughly $350 billion after securing up to $5 billion in new capital from Microsoft and $10 billion from Nvidia.
In a bid to outpace OpenAI, Anthropic is rapidly scaling its infrastructure. The startup announced a $50 billion investment to build AI‑focused data centers in Texas and New York, and it has recently tripled its global headcount to support expanded research and product development.
Investors appear enthusiastic about the prospect of an Anthropic IPO, seeing it as an opportunity to seize the initiative from OpenAI in the rapidly evolving generative‑AI market.
OpenAI, while rumored to be considering a public listing, has publicly stated that it is not pursuing a near‑term IPO. The company recently closed a $6.6 billion share sale that valued it at $500 billion, signaling strong private‑market demand even as it pauses on a formal stock market debut.
From a technical standpoint, Anthropic’s Claude models differentiate themselves through an emphasis on safety, interpretability, and low‑hallucination performance—attributes that could become valuable selling points for enterprise customers seeking reliable AI assistance. The upcoming infrastructure rollout will provide the high‑throughput compute needed to train next‑generation models, positioning Anthropic to compete on both scale and quality.
Financial analysts note that the success of an Anthropic IPO will hinge on several factors: the ability to demonstrate a clear path to profitability, the scalability of its safety‑focused architecture, and broader market sentiment toward AI‑centric valuations. With major technology firms already on board as investors, Anthropic may have the strategic partnerships required to navigate those challenges.
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