Anthropic Delays IPO Launch, Eyes Mid-October Listing

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind the Claude chatbot, has pushed back the timeline for its initial public offering (IPO). The firm is now expected to begin marketing the share sale in mid-October at the earliest, according to people familiar with the matter, with a listing targeted days before the U.S. midterm elections in November.

The company had been expected to publicly file its IPO prospectus as early as next week. That filing is now slated for late September, though the people cautioned that the schedule and other details remain fluid. The delay comes as Anthropic works to finalise a revolving credit facility of up to USD 15 billion as part of the IPO process, after which analysts from banks involved in the financing are expected to meet with the company.

The offering is poised to be one of the most closely watched public listings, given surging investor appetite for exposure to the fast-growing AI sector. Some market watchers have speculated the listing could value Anthropic at around USD 2 trillion, which would make it one of the largest IPOs on record and a significant test of public-market sentiment toward AI companies.

Anthropic's debut could coincide with potential listings from other AI firms, including OpenAI. Elon Musk's SpaceX went public in June at a record valuation of USD 1.77 trillion. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Citi are among the banks working with Anthropic on the IPO.

IPO timelines often shift as companies navigate market conditions, regulatory reviews and other preparations. Companies typically leave several weeks between analyst meetings and the public release of a prospectus, but Anthropic is expected to have a tighter window because analysts already know the company well, one person said.