与OpenAI竞逐上市！报道：Anthropic聘请IPO律师，计划最早于2026年上市

Core Viewpoint - Anthropic is preparing for an IPO potentially in 2026, competing with OpenAI, which was valued at $500 billion last October, while Anthropic's valuation is estimated between $300 billion and $350 billion [1][7]. Group 1: IPO Preparation - Anthropic has hired the law firm Wilson Sonsini to assist with its IPO preparations, which could be one of the largest IPOs in history [3]. - The company is currently negotiating a round of private financing that is expected to value it at over $300 billion [3]. - Discussions with major investment banks regarding the potential IPO are ongoing but remain preliminary and informal, indicating that Anthropic has not yet selected underwriters [3][5]. - The hiring of Krishna Rao as CFO, who played a key role in Airbnb's IPO, suggests that Anthropic is taking significant steps towards meeting the requirements for going public [5]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Both Anthropic and OpenAI are in a race to go public, with investors in Anthropic believing that an early IPO could allow it to gain an advantage over the larger competitor, OpenAI [7]. - OpenAI is also reportedly in the early stages of preparing for its IPO, but it is too early to set a timeline for this process [6]. Group 3: Financial Considerations - The rapid growth and astronomical costs associated with training AI models present challenges for both companies, making their financial performance difficult to predict [8].