OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar told staff the company is targeting a 2027 IPO but could list earlier if growth remains strong. She also addressed rival Anthropic’s potential public debut, saying it could go public as early as September. Both AI firms have confidentially filed IPO prospectuses with US regulators.

OpenAI chief financial officer Sarah Friar has told employees during a recent all-hands meeting that the ChatGPT maker will become a public company in 2027, though the listing could arrive sooner if business momentum continues. Friar said the IPO should not be viewed as an endpoint but as another step in the company's fundraising journey, noting that OpenAI raised $122 billion in March, which gives it continued financial flexibility.

Addressing the Anthropic question directly

Friar used part of the meeting to get ahead of employee concerns that rival Anthropic could beat OpenAI to public markets. Both companies have confidentially filed IPO prospectuses with regulators, and Friar told staff there was a real possibility Anthropic could make its filing public in the coming weeks and complete its listing as early as September. According to the CNBC, she told employees that outcome would be fine, since OpenAI's focus remains on its own trajectory rather than measuring itself against Anthropic's timeline. OpenAI confidentially filed its IPO prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June but has not disclosed a specific debut date. Anthropic has also confidentially filed its own prospectus and has reportedly been holding early meetings with potential investors.

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