Anthropic has chosen Nasdaq as the venue for a planned initial public offering, according to Business Insider, which reported on 13 September that the information came from a person familiar with the company’s plans. The developer of the Claude family of artificial intelligence models is currently targeting an October debut.
Some estimates have placed Anthropic’s valuation at $2 trillion. That figure has yet to be finalised, and key details remain unknown, including the size of any offering, its pricing range and the financial metrics the company would disclose. Selecting an exchange is an early part of preparing for a listing. It does not guarantee that an initial public offering will proceed.
An Anthropic flotation could rank among the most closely watched technology IPOs in years. The company competes with OpenAI, Google and other groups developing advanced artificial intelligence systems. Its move towards public markets would give investors a potential route into one of the sector’s leading companies, while requiring greater disclosure about its business.
Nasdaq has recently positioned itself for very large technology listings. It secured SpaceX’s listing earlier this year, when SpaceX was valued at $1.75 trillion. Facebook also went public on Nasdaq in 2012.
After SpaceX’s inclusion in the index, Nasdaq reduced its minimum seasoning period to 15 trading days for qualifying IPOs. Anthropic will need to release its financials at least 15 days before beginning its investor road show. The shorter period may make the exchange more attractive to companies seeking a faster route from disclosure to marketing an offering.
The prospect of an Anthropic listing comes as the artificial intelligence industry faces continuing arguments over the risks of increasingly capable systems. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has said his company would not go public because of the current controversy surrounding existential threats from AI.
Safety concerns have also surfaced around Anthropic. A former employee posted on social media a warning of a “greater than 10% human extinction risk from AI”. The brief does not establish whether such concerns will affect investor demand, regulatory scrutiny or the company’s timetable.
For now, Nasdaq’s selection indicates that Anthropic is considering a public-market route while substantial questions remain unresolved. The final valuation, any offering terms and the decision to proceed will determine whether the planned October debut takes place.
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