Anthropic weighs new AI model launch amid IPO plans, Reuters reports

Anthropic is weighing the release of a new artificial intelligence model to counter OpenAI's growing momentum following the launch of GPT-6 Astra, Reuters reported exclusively on Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the matter.reuters

The deliberations come just days after CEO Dario Amodei published a 3,800-word essay on September 12 urging the AI industry to slow the pace of releasing increasingly capable models over safety concerns. "We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models," Amodei wrote. The essay, which warned of AI agents outpacing human control, drew public support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.lufkindailynews+1

Competitive Pressure Mounts

OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra on September 3, and the model has gained rapid traction among enterprise users and developers. According to data from corporate expense platform Ramp, Astra accounted for about 13% of enterprise AI spending, compared with roughly 8% for Anthropic's Claude Fable. OpenRouter, a widely used platform that routes developer traffic across AI models, reported that users spent more on OpenAI models than Anthropic models last week — the first time OpenAI led on that measure in more than two and a half years.reuters+1

The shift has prompted some prospective Anthropic investors to reassess the company's position in enterprise AI, according to Reuters. Anthropic is evaluating the safety of its next model as part of its deliberations over a release, one of the sources said.reuters

Balancing Growth and Profitability

Internal discussions also center on how to balance spending on new models against efforts to improve profitability, as rising interest rates sharpen investor focus on when AI developers can generate sustainable cash flows. Anthropic still holds a revenue advantage: its annualized revenue run rate topped $65 billion by the end of July, up from about $9 billion at the end of 2025, while OpenAI's passed $40 billion in July. Anthropic projects revenue of roughly $190 billion to $200 billion in 2028.lufkindailynews+1

Investors cited by Reuters said open-source and open-weight models may pose a broader challenge by allowing businesses to lower costs and build more AI infrastructure internally. Meta Platforms ↗ 1.02%, one of Anthropic's largest customers, is looking to reduce its reliance on Anthropic's models as it develops more capabilities in-house.reuters+1

IPO Timing in Flux

Anthropic could push its IPO to after the November U.S. midterm elections, according to two people familiar with the matter. Earlier plans had called for marketing to begin in mid-October at the earliest. OpenAI, meanwhile, has stepped back from the race to public markets — Altman confirmed on Saturday that OpenAI would not go public in 2026, citing AI safety concerns.reuters+1

Anthropic declined to comment for the Reuters report.reuters