Anthropic files for potentially the biggest IPO ever as CEO warns of AI's existential risk to humanity

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced plans Monday for what may be the largest initial public offering (IPO) ever, as its CEO cautioned that advanced AI could present an existential threat to humanity. The San Francisco-based startup is set to debut on Wall Street next month, potentially surpassing SpaceX's record-breaking IPO in June that raised $86 billion. This would also position Anthropic ahead of OpenAI in going public, amid a pair of anticipated blockbuster stock debuts for AI labs.

The filing follows CEO Dario Amodei's recent essay advocating for a slower development of the most advanced AI models, in hopes of mitigating potential risks. While the ultimate amount raised, valuation, and offering price remain unclear, even lower estimates would make Anthropic among the world's most valuable companies. Its five-year-old startup could potentially increase the wealth of Amodei and his sister and co-founder Daniela by billions of dollars.

Anthropic's 335-page filing revealed a rapidly growing revenue stream, but the company still hasn't turned a profit. In the first half of 2026, it reported a net loss of $80.7 billion, down from a $13 billion loss a year earlier. Despite this, Anthropic, valued at $965 billion by private investors, is reportedly poised to see its value rise to $1.5 trillion or possibly $2 trillion. This would place it among the world's most valuable public companies, alongside Tesla.

If successful, the IPO could bring in up to $100 billion for Anthropic, surpassing the current record set by Elon Musk's SpaceX this year. The funds raised could be used for acquiring other businesses and technologies, as well as infrastructure to fuel growth and outpace competitors. Both Anthropic and OpenAI, led by ex-OpenAI leaders, are competing for dominance in the AI space, with several other major players, including Google and Chinese startups, also vying for control.