Anthropic PBC mulls $60 billion IPO as early as October 2026: Report

Anthropic PBC is exploring a public debut as early as October, as the artificial intelligence firm competes with rival OpenAI Inc. to launch an initial public offering, according to Bloomberg.

The developer of the renowned Claude chatbot has held preliminary talks with Wall Street institutions regarding lead roles in a potential listing, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Morgan Stanley are reportedly being considered for primary roles in the Anthropic and OpenAI offerings. Discussions remain fluid and no definitive conclusions have been reached, it said.

Previously, The Information reported on the potential timing of Anthropic’s IPO, which could target a valuation exceeding $60 billion.

During a $30 billion funding round co-led by MGX that concluded in February, Anthropic was valued at $380 billion. The startup maintains strategic partnerships with Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Nvidia Corp. These tech giants have secured stakes in the AI firm while providing specialized semiconductors and infrastructure in agreements worth tens of billions of dollars.

Established in 2021 by former OpenAI personnel, including CEO Dario Amodei, Anthropic has positioned itself as a more ethically-minded AI developer than its peers. Claude and its core architecture have seen significant adoption among developers and corporate clients in the healthcare and financial sectors. Additionally, Anthropic has committed $50 billion toward constructing proprietary data centers within the United States.

Anthropic-Pentagon clash

The company recently clashed with the Pentagon, which designated Anthropic a threat to the US supply chain — a classification typically reserved for hostile foreign entities.

In an interim relief, a federal judge has ruled in favor of the AI company, issuing a temporary injunction to stop the Pentagon from labeling the firm as a supply chain risk.

On Thursday, US District Judge Rita Lin stated she was also halting President Donald Trump's executive order requiring federal agencies to cease using Anthropic services. This decision followed a 90-minute hearing in San Francisco, where the judge questioned why the administration took such drastic measures following a breakdown in defense contract negotiations. Those talks reportedly stalled over Anthropic’s efforts to prohibit its technology from being used in autonomous weaponry or domestic surveillance.

Anthropic argued the designation was an "unlawful campaign of retaliation," while the Pentagon maintained it should have unrestricted lawful use of the Claude model.