Anthropic's potential mega IPO joins ranks of world's biggest listings

Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI, filed for its US initial public offering (IPO) on Monday, setting the stage for what could be a groundbreaking debut in the rapidly expanding AI industry. The potential offering is expected to be one of the largest ever attempted, potentially reshaping benchmarks and investor flows within the US equities market. According to Matt Kennedy, a senior strategist at Renaissance Capital, a successful Anthropic IPO could have far-reaching implications for the IPO market, even into 2027.

AI lab Anthropic has confirmed that its hotly anticipated US IPO filing is a crucial step towards a potential roadshow launch. The filing revealed details of its financial performance, growth trajectory, and IPO plans, providing a glimpse into the company's ambitions. Some current and prospective investors are valuing Anthropic at approximately $1.5 trillion, a figure that has since decreased from the previous estimate of $2 trillion following the AI startup's disclosure of financial details at a recent investor event.

The IPO has faced delays, with marketing efforts previously expected to commence in mid-October at the earliest. Anthropic is seeking to raise up to $100 billion in the offering, according to Reuters reports. The company, which filed confidentially for a US IPO in June, raised $65 billion in a post-money valuation of $965 billion in late May.

OpenAI, the company behind AI chatbot ChatGPT, also filed confidentially for a US IPO in June, but has stated it will not go public in 2026 due to safety concerns surrounding artificial intelligence. OpenAI is actively seeking investor commitments before Anthropic's expected public market debut in mid-November, presenting an unusual and rapid fundraising scenario that could value the ChatGPT maker at over $1.4 trillion.