Anthropic Weighs New AI Model Release as Competition with OpenAI Intensifies Before IPO

Anthropic Evaluates New AI Model Launch

Anthropic is deliberating the release of a new AI model as competition with OpenAI intensifies, according to Reuters citing three sources familiar with the matter1

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. The potential launch comes as OpenAI's recently released GPT-6 Astra gains traction among business customers, prompting investors to reassess Anthropic's position as a leader in enterprise AI tools2

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. One source told Reuters that Anthropic is currently evaluating the next model's safety as it deliberates a possible release1

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. The company has not publicly confirmed the model, its capabilities, or a launch schedule2

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Balancing Profitability and Innovation Amid Investor Concerns

The deliberations center on balancing investment in deploying new models with bolstering the company's profitability, as higher interest rates make backers more focused on the timing of anticipated profits1

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. Despite Anthropic's impressive commercial growth, with annualized revenue reaching $65 billion in July and backers predicting it will top $120 billion by year-end, investor concerns persist1

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. According to the Financial Times, investors are wondering whether Anthropic can maintain its growth in the face of competition, customer price sensitivities, and concerns about AI safety1

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. The wide range of IPO valuations estimated by investors familiar with the group's performance—between $1.5 trillion and $4 trillion—reflects considerable uncertainty over whether the company can sustain its pace as the fastest-growing business of all time1

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Dario Amodei's Call for Slowing AI Development

The potential model release creates tension with CEO Dario Amodei's recent call for the AI industry to scale back the launch of new capabilities amid AI safety concerns1

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. In a 3,800-word essay published on September 12, Amodei wrote, "We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models," painting a dire picture of a world beset by AI-related attacks1

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. He expressed worry that "in 6-12 months such a swarm could be capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet (potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage), and that the scale of damage would continue to increase from there if AI becomes more powerful without the necessary guardrails"1

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. The potential move to release a new model comes at a notable time as Anthropic must balance its emphasis on AI safety with commercial pressure created by rapid developments from rivals2

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Enterprise Adoption Gap and Financial Incentives

Maya Mikhailov, CEO and co-founder of Savvi AI, views a gap between what the labs are worried about and what AI companies' customers actually use. She told PYMNTS that slowing frontier AI development is not akin to slowing AI adoption because most enterprise customers "aren't even using the state-of-the-art models to begin with"1

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. This gap appears in revenue patterns as well: Ramp's AI Index found the top 1% of businesses are behind the bulk of model companies' enterprise revenue1

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. Training these models costs billions of dollars, Mikhailov noted, "while most of their enterprise clients aren't even coming close to using the advanced models' capacity"1

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IPO Timeline and Competitive Landscape

Anthropic had been targeting late October for its initial public offering but is now aiming for November, according to the Wall Street Journal1

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. Looking ahead, Anthropic continues to demonstrate significant commercial momentum with its projected 2026 annualized revenue run rate exceeding $65 billion, compared with about $40 billion for OpenAI2

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. However, open-source models are also emerging as competitors, offering businesses lower-cost and more flexible alternatives2

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. The pressure from GPT-6 Astra's momentum among business customers adds urgency to Anthropic's strategic decisions as it prepares for its market debut2

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