Anthropic Files for Potential Record IPO; CEO Warns of AI Existential Risk

Anthropic filed for an initial public offering on Monday that could become the largest ever, setting up a Nasdaq Global Select Market listing under the ticker symbol ANT and potentially raising as much as $100 billion. The San Francisco artificial intelligence company, known for the Claude chatbot, is expected to make its Wall Street debut next month and has been valued near $965 billion by private investors. Market reports suggest its public valuation could reach $1.5 trillion or more, making it one of the world’s most valuable public companies and surpassing the record set by SpaceX’s June IPO. The filing indicates rapid growth, with Anthropic reporting more than $16 billion in revenue in the first half of 2026, roughly 14 times the level of the prior-year period. The company remains loss-making, however, with a net loss of $80.7 billion in the period, though adjusted losses were much smaller. Anthropic could use IPO proceeds to fund infrastructure, pursue acquisitions and accelerate competition with OpenAI, Google, newer U.S. and Chinese AI firms, and SpaceX’s AI operations. The listing is also expected to significantly increase the wealth of Anthropic’s seven founders, including CEO Dario Amodei and his sister and co-founder, Daniela Amodei, each estimated by Forbes to be worth $15.5 billion. The offering comes amid investor concern about the enormous costs of building large AI models and the possibility of a market slowdown for AI shares. Anthropic’s filing includes unusually extensive risk disclosures and governance protections. Founders will control 50.1% of shareholder votes through a special class of shares, while an independent Long-Term Benefit Trust will hold authority over board appointments to help ensure the company prioritizes public safety alongside commercial goals. The company warns of risks ranging from regulatory hurdles and talent retention to malicious AI misuse, authoritarian surveillance and potential catastrophic or existential threats from advanced systems. Dario Amodei has repeatedly warned that the AI industry should slow development to allow safety measures to catch up, saying unchecked progress could enable harmful autonomous agents to disrupt critical systems within months. The IPO also follows a public dispute between Anthropic and the U.S. government over military use of its technology. After being designated a supply chain risk, Anthropic challenged the decision, arguing it represented unlawful retaliation for restricting military applications. A California judge ruled in Anthropic’s favor in one case, while a Washington, D.C., judge backed the government in a separate related proceeding, and both rulings are under appeal.