Group 1 - Anthropic, a key player in the global AI sector, is preparing for an IPO, potentially the largest in history, with plans to go public as early as 2026 [1][2] - The company, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives, focuses on developing reliable and interpretable AI systems, with its flagship product being the Claude series of large models [1] - Anthropic is currently negotiating a private funding round that could push its valuation above $300 billion [1] Group 2 - The company has engaged Wilson Sonsini as its legal advisor for the IPO process, which has been ongoing since 2022 [1] - Discussions with several major investment banks regarding the potential IPO are in preliminary and informal stages, indicating that the company has not yet selected underwriters [1][2] - Investors are optimistic about the IPO, believing that if Anthropic can go public before its larger competitor OpenAI, it could gain a significant market advantage [3] Group 3 - Anthropic's CFO, Krishna Rao, who played a key role in Airbnb's IPO, is overseeing the necessary internal changes for the IPO [3] - Despite the positive outlook, there are concerns about the feasibility of a rapid IPO due to the unpredictable financial performance associated with the high costs of training AI models [4] - OpenAI is also preparing for an IPO, potentially valuing the company at $1 trillion, with discussions about a submission to regulators as early as the second half of 2026 [3][4]