Anthropic lines up investor meetings as IPO planning advances
Bankers are arranging talks with investors for Anthropic, which could reach public markets before OpenAI, CNBC reported.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Anthropic is moving further into preparations for a possible initial public offering, with bankers arranging meetings between company executives and prospective investors, CNBC reported, citing a person familiar with the plans. The activity points to a more active phase for one of the most closely watched artificial intelligence listings as public-market interest in AI companies remains strong.
The company behind the Claude AI models has not announced a date for an IPO, CNBC reported. Anthropic filed its prospectus confidentially with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June, according to CNBC, meaning key financial and offering details have not been made public.
Bloomberg, which CNBC credited with first reporting the investor meetings, said Anthropic could list as soon as October, though the timing may still change. CNBC reported that an Anthropic spokesperson declined to comment.
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase are involved in planning the offering, CNBC reported. CNBC described the three firms as Wall Street’s largest banks by revenue.
The investor meetings are taking place before a formal roadshow, CNBC reported. In an IPO process, those early discussions can help bankers assess demand before a company starts a public sales effort for shares.
A public debut by Anthropic would put the company ahead of OpenAI in reaching the stock market, according to CNBC. CNBC reported that OpenAI also filed confidentially for an IPO in June but has not released further details about its plans.
Anthropic’s prospective listing would follow SpaceX’s June IPO, which CNBC described as a major offering that added momentum to the market for large private technology companies. CNBC reported that an Anthropic IPO would further test public investor appetite for businesses tied to the AI buildout after several years in which many leading AI companies stayed private while raising large sums from investors.
CNBC reported that Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives and researchers who left over concerns about OpenAI’s direction. The company has gained traction selling to business customers, helped by Claude Code, its coding assistant, according to CNBC.
In May, Anthropic completed a $65 billion funding round that valued the company at $965 billion, CNBC reported. That valuation put Anthropic above OpenAI, which CNBC said was valued at $852 billion, marking the first time Anthropic had surpassed its larger rival by that measure.
CNBC reported that Wall Street banks have benefited from the AI investment surge as clients look for ways to finance the buildout, invest in companies tied to the trend or hedge their exposure. An Anthropic IPO would give public-market investors another direct way to buy into one of the central companies in the generative AI race.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.