Anthropic files for IPO before OpenAI as trillion-dollar startups race to go public

BREAKING NEWSJun. 1, 2026, 4:41 PM UTCCorporationsCorporationsAnthropic files for IPO before OpenAI amid race to the public markets for trillion-dollar startupsThe move comes earlier than expected as the Claude AI maker looks to beat its chief rival to fresh funding.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Branding at the entrance to Anthropic's Code with Claude developer conference in London on May 19.Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Steve KopackArtificial intelligence startup Anthropic said it filed for an initial public stock offering, a surprise start to the race between it and OpenAI to be the next trillion-dollar AI startup to hit the public markets.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The filing, which is currently confidential as the Securities and Exchange Commission reviews it, comes earlier than expected as the Claude AI maker looks to beat its primary rival to fresh funding. Both companies were previously expected to begin trading in the fall.“This gives us the option to go public after the SEC completes its review,” the company said in a statement. “The number of shares to be offered and the price have not yet been set.”Just days ago, Anthropic announced that it was now valued at $965 billion after raising a fresh $65 billion in funding to fuel the insatiable demand for its artificial intelligence products.If Anthropic debuts at a $1 trillion value, it would immediately catapult it into the ranks of the most highly valued companies in the world and likely mark the second- or third-largest IPO ever, behind SpaceX and Saudi Aramco.Beating OpenAI to the market will likely be important for Anthropic, because its trading debut is set to occur shortly after SpaceX’s trillion-dollar IPO. Many analysts believe whichever company makes it to the markets first will perform better in the funding race, because both Anthropic and OpenAI will be...