Anthropic Eyes 2026 IPO Move

Anthropic's Journey Toward an IPO

Anthropic, a well-known artificial intelligence startup recognized for its "Claude" chatbot, is making significant progress toward going public. Recent reports indicate that the company has enlisted the law firm Wilson Sonsini to begin preparing for a potential public listing in 2026. According to individuals with knowledge of the matter, Anthropic has initiated preliminary discussions with leading investment banks regarding an initial public offering (IPO).

This move comes as the company experiences notable growth. By September, Anthropic reported that its business customer count had surpassed 300,000, a stark increase from fewer than 1,000 two years ago. Additionally, the number of large accounts—those generating at least $100,000 in annualized revenue—has grown more than sevenfold in the past year.

An IPO could offer several advantages for Anthropic. It would provide a more efficient method for raising capital, expand access to public markets, and potentially enhance its ability to make future acquisitions. This is especially relevant given the surge in AI adoption and the increasing enterprise demand for large language models.

Preparing for Public Listing

Anthropic appears to be taking its ambitions seriously by hiring experienced executives and implementing internal procedures similar to those of public companies. Despite the current informal nature of discussions about a potential IPO, insiders believe the company is working toward a private funding round that could elevate its valuation beyond $300 billion. The company is also projecting a significant increase in its annualized revenue run rate, which could reach around $26 billion next year.

In addition to Anthropic, OpenAI is also exploring the possibility of an IPO. According to Reuters, OpenAI is expected to file with regulators in the second half of 2026. While the estimated valuation for OpenAI is as high as $1 trillion, the exact details of the fundraising are still being finalized. Some sources suggest that the starting point for the raise could be around $60 billion, although this figure may change based on market trends and business performance.

Strategic Acquisitions and Growth

The company's Chief Financial Officer, Sarah Friar, has mentioned a potential 2027 listing timeline to some associates, though some advisers believe a late-2026 listing is possible. However, the company's spokesperson emphasized that an IPO is not their immediate focus and that no specific date has been set. Instead, the company is concentrating on building a sustainable business and advancing its mission to benefit everyone through AGI.

Insiders believe that an IPO would give the firm better tools for fundraising and greater flexibility to make large acquisitions using its own stock. This is crucial for CEO Sam Altman's ambitious AI infrastructure plans.

Anthropic's First Acquisition

Anthropic recently confirmed its first acquisition, the startup Bun. The terms of the deal remain confidential. In its press release, Anthropic described Bun as an all-in-one solution that includes a runtime, package manager, bundler, and test runner. The company claims that Bun enhances the JavaScript and TypeScript developer experience by making it faster, more reliable, and more enjoyable.

Anthropic argues that the integration of Bun will help improve workflow features in Claude Code. Mike Krieger, the Chief Product Officer of Anthropic, highlighted that Bun represents the technical excellence the company aims to bring into its ecosystem. He noted that Jarred and his team rethought the entire JavaScript toolchain from first principles while maintaining a focus on real use cases.

Bun has already gained significant traction, with over 7 million monthly downloads and 82,000 GitHub stars. It is also adopted by companies such as Midjourney and Lovable, which use it to improve workflow speed and productivity.

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