Anthropic Plans October IPO, Aiming to Raise Over $60 Billion

The Anthropic, the company behind the chatbot Claude, is considering launching its IPO as early as October 2026. This news emerged over the last couple of days, placing the company in a direct race with OpenAI to be one of the first major AI firms to go public.

According to Bloomberg, Anthropic has already had preliminary discussions with investment banks to take key roles in the process. A report by The Information, published a day earlier, supports this but notes that the timing is not yet set, with Q4 2026 being the nearest target. A listing within this timeframe could raise over $60 billion, positioning it among the largest tech debuts in recent history.

In practice, this move reflects the pressure to monetize rapid growth. Anthropic has been consistently updating Claude and expanding partnerships with major players, helping to build valuation before the public debut. However, the IPO also presents challenges: increased market scrutiny and the need to balance innovation with profitability.

What This Means for the Industry

For AI investors and professionals, the potential listing opens up the opportunity to buy shares in one of the segment's leaders. Currently, Anthropic is still private, but institutional interest is already significant. Raising over $60 billion indicates banks' and markets' confidence in models like Claude, which compete directly with OpenAI's GPT.

Meanwhile, OpenAI is also preparing for an IPO, likely intensifying the competition for talent, partnerships, and capital. The AI sector is experiencing a moment where speed and scale determine who leads.

Discussions with Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley are underway and are expected to define the next steps. If the timeline is confirmed, Anthropic will have just six months to refine numbers and prepare the roadshow before the debut.