Just days after overtaking its arch-rival OpenAI in valuation, Anthropic is now gearing up for its much-anticipated IPO, a move that could further cement its lead in the AI race. The Claude maker has confidentially filed paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States. While details of the IPO remain under wraps, reports suggest that the company’s valuation could cross the $1 trillion mark following its stock market debut.
Anthropic announced on June 1 that it had confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed IPO of its common stock. While the company has not disclosed how many shares it plans to sell or the price range it is targeting, the filing gives it the option to move ahead with a public listing once regulators complete their review.
“Anthropic, PBC confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of our common stock. This gives us the option to go public after the SEC completes its review. The proposed initial public offering will depend on market conditions and other factors,” the company said in a brief statement. Anthropic also noted that the announcement does not constitute an offer to sell securities and that any future offering would be carried out in accordance with US securities laws.
Anthropic could be valued $1 trillion
Anthropic’s filing comes at a time when investor appetite for AI companies is at an all-time high. With the debut in Wall Street, the Claude maker could reportedly target a valuation of around $1 trillion. If that happens, Anthropic would become one of the most valuable publicly listed companies in the world, and one of the fastest rising startups founded just four years ago by former OpenAI staff.
Do not note that a confidential filing does not mean an IPO is coming soon. However the process allows companies to work through regulatory reviews behind closed doors before publicly releasing detailed financial information. According to reports, Anthropic would only need to publish its prospectus at least 15 days before beginning a roadshow to market the offering to investors.
Meanwhile, Anthropic’s decision to head towards public markets comes at a time when the AI industry is entering a new phase of competition, with companies racing not only to build more capable models but also to secure the massive amounts of capital needed for data centres, chips and infrastructure. By filing first, Anthropic has also moved ahead of OpenAI in the race to reach public markets.
The rivalry between the two AI giants has intensified in recent months. Anthropic recently overtook Sam Altman-led OpenAI in private valuation after raising fresh funding at a reported post-money valuation of $965 billion. Multiple reports have since described the Claude maker as the world’s most valuable AI start-up.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is also expected to confidentially file for its own US IPO in the coming weeks. According to reports, the expected IPOs of Anthropic and OpenAI could spark one of the biggest battles Wall Street has seen in years. With both companies likely to raise tens of billions of dollars to fund their AI infrastructure, data centres and future model development, the competition is surely shifting beyond technology and into the financial markets. And the company that wins over investors first could gain an edge in the race to dominate artificial intelligence.
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