Anthropic in Advanced Talks for $900B+ Valuation, Eyeing IPO This Year

Anthropic, the Claude-making AI startup founded by former OpenAI employees, is entertaining funding offers that would value it at over $900 billion—potentially more than doubling its current $350 billion valuation and surpassing rival OpenAI's $852 billion valuation. The talks are in early stages, and the company hasn't accepted any offers yet, but they signal Anthropic's aggressive push to capitalize on its breakout success. The startup has previously turned down multiple investor proposals at the $800 billion+ range, suggesting confidence in its negotiating position.

The timing is notable: Anthropic is simultaneously pursuing an IPO as soon as October while ramping up fundraising to secure infrastructure needed for surging demand. Google and Amazon have already committed substantial sums—Google pledged $10 billion at the $350 billion valuation with up to $30 billion more conditional on performance targets, while Amazon committed $5 billion with plans for $20 billion additional investment. It's unclear whether these tech giants will participate in the new funding round.

Anthropics competitive position has strengthened considerably. In April, the company unveiled Mythos, a model capable of detecting and exploiting software vulnerabilities in critical systems—so dangerous that Anthropic deemed it unsuitable for wide release and limited testing to select companies. However, unauthorized users have gained access. Meanwhile, OpenAI faces headwinds: it's reportedly missed revenue and user growth targets amid competition from Anthropic and Google, prompting the ChatGPT maker to streamline its product portfolio and focus on AI agents.

The valuation spike reflects the intense capital war heating up in AI. Founded in 2021, Anthropic has quickly emerged as a sector leader, developing tools for coding, cybersecurity, and other business applications. An IPO this fall would put both Anthropic and OpenAI on track for public debuts in the same year, setting up a dramatic contest for investor attention in the AI arms race.