AI companies SpaceX, Anthropic, OpenAI expected to go public this year
8 reported1 unconfirmed
According to a single-source report from Vox, three leading artificial intelligence companies — SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI — are all expected to go public in 2026. SpaceX, which recently acquired another Musk company, xAi, is on track to open to investors later this month. Anthropic has filed confidentially with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its IPO, and reports indicate OpenAI could go public as soon as September. The combined value of these IPOs could total over $3 trillion, with SpaceX’s IPO potentially being the largest in history and making Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. The rush to go public is driven by a fear among the companies that investors will not wait for a later entrant, as well as the high capital costs of AI, including compute and data centers. The Verge senior writer Liz Lopatto noted that Anthropic has shown better discipline in its IPO preparations, focusing on enterprise software and text-based AI, while OpenAI’s business is described as scattered, and SpaceX’s filings include what Lopatto called “nonsense about Mars.”
What’s reported
SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are all expected to go public this year.
SpaceX’s IPO could be the largest in history and make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.
The combined value of the three AI IPOs could total over $3 trillion.
Anthropic filed confidentially with the SEC for its IPO.
OpenAI could go public as soon as September.
The rush to IPO is fueled by a fear that investors will not wait for later entrants.
AI is described as an extremely capital-intensive business requiring funds for compute and data centers.
Liz Lopatto, a senior writer at The Verge, said Anthropic has shown better discipline in IPO preparations than SpaceX.
Open questions
The article does not specify the exact dates for each IPO beyond general timelines.
Key figures
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
Liz Lopatto, senior writer at The Verge
Sean Rameswaram, co-host of Today, Explained
Sources: vox.com
