Anthropic heads to historic IPO

The AI safety company is preparing to go public at a reported $2 trillion valuation, which would be record-breaking and life-changing for long-time employees.

Researchers publicly warn of AI extinction

Multiple Anthropic researchers, including alignment science leader Evan Hubinger, have posted that AI could kill all humans, with Hubinger estimating a greater than 10% chance within the next decade.

“We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans! I personally think it is >10% within the next decade.”

Researchers express genuine fear

Drake Thomas, another Anthropic researcher, posted that he would sacrifice his equity for a 1% higher chance of human survival, emphasizing that researchers are genuinely scared, not engaging in marketing.

“I would burn my equity to the ground in a heartbeat for a 1% higher chance we make it out of this situation alive.”

Safety concerns baked into company DNA

Anthropic was founded as an AI safety lab, and CEO Dario Amodei estimates a 10% to 25% chance of AI-caused human extinction, so researcher warnings align with the company's founding mission.

IPO timing raises questions

The timing of these public warnings just weeks before the IPO is unusual and raises questions about what the offering means for Anthropic's cautious approach to AI development.

Public companies face growth pressure

Going public could pressure Anthropic to prioritize shareholder returns over safety measures like voluntary slowdowns, potentially conflicting with the company's risk-conscious mission.

Researchers say no alignment plan exists

Anthropic researchers have stated the company does not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and is not clearly on track to develop one, which could concern investors.

“we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to”

Labor group calls for IPO delay

SOC Investment Group, a shareholder advocacy organization, urged Anthropic to postpone the IPO, arguing the June confidential filing predates recent safety warnings and hacking incidents that investors need to evaluate.

Transparency could strengthen safety case

Some argue that going public brings scrutiny and transparency that could actually make Anthropic safer, and a track record of taking risks seriously could appeal to enterprise customers and consumers.

OpenAI delays its own IPO

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Fortune that AI safety concerns make this an ill-advised moment for the company to go public, creating a stark contrast with Anthropic's planned offering.

“an ill-advised moment to go public”

SEC filings will reveal risk details

When Anthropic and OpenAI eventually file their S-1 forms with the SEC, the risk disclosure sections will provide detailed public information about how these companies view existential AI threats.