Anthropic Prepares for Potential IPO in 2026
Anthropic, the AI startup backed by Google and Amazon, has engaged the law firm Wilson Sonsini to prepare for a potential initial public offering (IPO) that could take place as early as 2026, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The IPO is expected to provide Anthropic with a more efficient way to raise capital and additional leverage for larger acquisitions via public stock, at a time when AI adoption is accelerating, driven by increasing enterprise tech spending and strong investor appetite.
An Anthropic spokesperson told Reuters that the company has not yet decided when or even if it will go public. The startup has previously worked with Wilson Sonsini on various corporate matters.
According to reports, Anthropic could be ready to list in 2026 and has held discussions with major investment banks regarding a potential IPO. However, these talks remain informal and in early stages. The company is also negotiating a private funding round that could value it above $300 billion.
Founded in 2021 by Dario Amodei and former staff from OpenAI, Anthropic anticipates nearly doubling or even tripling its annualized revenue run rate to around $26 billion next year, serving more than 300,000 enterprise clients. Notably, OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, is also preparing for one of the largest potential IPOs ever, potentially valued at $1 trillion.
Last month, Microsoft and Nvidia announced plans to invest up to $15 billion in Anthropic, as the AI firm committed $30 billion to using Microsoft’s cloud services.
