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Anthropic is considering rolling out a new AI model before its expected IPO to counter competitive momentum from OpenAI following the rival’s launch of GPT-6 Astra earlier this month, according to three sources cited by Reuters. The deliberations come shortly after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei joined other tech leaders in calling for the industry to slow the pace of capability improvements over safety concerns. Reuters reported that the company is simultaneously evaluating the safety of its next model while balancing the benefits of a fresh release against investor demands for clearer profitability timelines amid elevated interest rates.
OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra has quickly gained traction in the business sector and now accounts for about 13 percent of enterprise AI spending tracked by the corporate expense platform Ramp, compared with roughly 8 percent for Anthropic’s Claude Fable, data cited in the Reuters article showed. Some investors have begun re-evaluating Anthropic’s position as the leading provider of enterprise AI tools in light of the shift, the news agency added. The competitive pressure has mounted even as Anthropic’s annualized revenue run rate surpassed $65 billion in July, outpacing OpenAI’s $40 billion according to separate industry benchmarks referenced across multiple reports.
Discussions inside the San Francisco-based startup also focus on how to align any new model rollout with efforts to boost profitability, sources told Reuters. Amodei outlined his position in a 3,800-word essay posted last Saturday in which he stated that the industry must slow the pace at which it improves AI model capabilities. Reuters noted that Anthropic declined to comment on the matter when approached for the story.
The potential launch forms part of preparations for an IPO that could value Anthropic at around $2 trillion, with the company seeking to raise as much as $100 billion in the offering, according to people familiar with the plans who spoke to Reuters in related coverage. Marketing for the listing, already pushed back from earlier expectations, may now begin after mid-October at the earliest and the debut itself could shift until after the November U.S. midterm elections, two sources indicated. Those people told the news service that the elections are not expected to exert a major influence on the transaction.
Anthropic confidentially filed draft IPO paperwork with the SEC in June, moving ahead of OpenAI in the public listing race, a step that followed a $65 billion private funding round which lifted its valuation to $965 billion. The company has released successive Claude models throughout 2026, including the Opus 5 variant in July that it positioned as a cost-efficient option approaching the capabilities of its more advanced Fable 5 at half the price, Bloomberg reported at the time. That efficiency focus reflects broader efforts to meet demand for practical workplace applications while navigating regulatory and safety scrutiny.
Enterprise adoption of advanced AI tools has accelerated rapidly this year, yet calls for measured development have grown louder among industry executives concerned about potential misuse. Reuters previously reported that Anthropic’s IPO timeline had already slipped, with internal discussions weighing the trade-offs between innovation speed and sustainable returns as higher interest rates reshape investor expectations. The latest considerations underscore the intense rivalry between leading AI developers as both Anthropic and OpenAI chart paths toward public markets.
