AI companies SpaceX, Anthropic, OpenAI expected to go public this year
11 reported1 unconfirmed
According to a single-source report from Vox, three leading AI companies — Anthropic, SpaceX, and OpenAI — are all expected to go public this year. Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which recently acquired another Musk company, xAi, is on track to open up 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 Musk the world’s first trillionaire. The rush to go public is driven by a fear among companies that if they do not go public first, investors may not wait for them, according to Liz Lopatto, a senior writer at The Verge. AI is extremely capital-intensive, requiring funds for compute, data centers, and frontier models, making public offerings a way to raise capital. Lopatto noted that Anthropic has shown better discipline than the other companies and is about to make a profit, while OpenAI’s business is described as scattered and SpaceX’s IPO filing includes 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 AI IPOs could total over $3 trillion.
Anthropic filed confidentially with the SEC for its IPO.
OpenAI could go public as soon as September.
SpaceX recently acquired another Musk company, xAi.
Liz Lopatto, a senior writer at The Verge, stated that the rush to go public is fueled by fear that investors won’t wait for a company that doesn’t go public first.
AI is described as an extremely capital-intensive business requiring funds for compute, data centers, and frontier models.
Anthropic is about to make a profit and focused on text and programming, not images.
OpenAI’s business is described as scattered, having created and shut down Sora, and facing lawsuits.
SpaceX’s IPO filing includes what Lopatto called “nonsense about Mars” and lacks mention of biological risks of going to Mars.
Open questions
The article does not specify the exact dates for each IPO beyond “later this month” for SpaceX and “as soon as September” for OpenAI.
Key figures
Liz Lopatto, senior writer at The Verge
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
Sean Rameswaram, co-host of Today, Explained
Sources: vox.com
