IPO timing set before last week’s AI safety debate
Anthropic has pushed its planned initial public offering from October to November, according to people familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal reported the timing shift in its Thursday edition of the What’s News newsletter.
The AI company had been expected to stage a record-breaking IPO in October, the people familiar said. The Journal’s newsletter did not specify the expected size of the offering.
The decision to shift to a November offering was made before public discourse on AI safety hit a fever pitch last week, some people familiar with the timing told the Journal.
Last week’s AI safety debate included California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order ramping up state oversight of the technology, including a possible “kill switch” for cutting-edge models, according to the newsletter.
“We’re not waiting to act—we’re going to speed up our work on substantial and responsible AI oversight before it’s too late,” Newsom said in a statement quoted by the Journal.
Anthropic plans to meet with prospective investors in the coming days, the people familiar said. The newsletter did not provide additional details about the company’s plans for the offering or its potential valuation.