Anthropic CEO Calls For AI Slowdown. What It Could Mean For Startup’s IPO?

Anthropic is all set to launch its Initial Public Offering (IPO). The AI startup, which was valued at $965 billion in a funding round earlier, was expected to list its shares as soon as next month. But CEO Amodei’s latest warning about slowing the pace of AI development may have complicated things.

Amodei wrote an essay recently, advocating for companies to undertake safety measures, such as opening up to third-party evaluators and having “common safety standards”. He also asked that democratic countries coordinate with authoritarian governments on the matter “to the extent this is possible.”

Anthropic CEO’s Warning Finds Support

The Anthropic co-founder’s post on Saturday came against the backdrop of several researchers highlighting the dangers of unchecked AI development.

Not just that, Amodei’s call is also backed by OpenAI chief Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

OpenAI, which also filed confidential papers for an IPO, is now aiming to launch its IPO in 2027.

Not Everyone Agrees

However, US President Donald Trump did not agree with Amodei’s assessment. In a post on Truth Social, he claimed that the only “control or guardrails” that AI needs is a “STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

Other skeptics claim that Anthropic is backing more regulations as it would benefit from stricter standards. Its services, like Claude Code, are powered by the most advanced models. On the other hand, smaller competitors may not be able to afford the safety, evaluation, and security investments required for frontier-level models, as per CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/14/anthropic-walks-tightrope-to-nasdaq-pushing-slowdown-and-pursuing-ipo.html

There are also fears that slowing down AI development could leave the US behind in the field compared to China. Anthropic and OpenAI already face competition from affordable Chinese artificial models like Moonshot AI’s Kimi 3 and Alibaba’s Qwen.

Impact On Anthropic’s IPO

Anthropic could face a hit to revenue growth if it slows the pace of developing AI models. However, some experts state that an intentional slowdown could help the AI startup frame itself as a responsible firm and avoid future liability.

The measure can also impact the public backlash towards AI that has been developing in the wake of mass layoffs in the tech sector and security breaches. Earlier this year, Anthropic withheld its Mythos model from public use after it emerged that the model could independently escape its testing environment.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14dpgm0rg4o

Investors also have reason to worry about the pace of development at both OpenAI and Anthropic, as the companies are spending massively on AI infrastructure.

Anthropic has inked several multibillion-dollar compute deals this year, including with SpaceX, Google, Nscale, and Advanced Micro Devices. The Dario Amodei-led firm, along with OpenAI, are also big customers of Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs).

Many AI companies are relying more on debt and circular financing to fund ambitious spending plans even as global borrowing costs continue to rise, as per Reuters.

https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/global-ai-stocks-fall-as-industry-chiefs-call-for-slowing-development-126091400969_1.html

So, will a slowdown in development burst the AI bubble and lead to big losses in the sector?

The stock market selloff on Monday seems to indicate so.

The Philadelphia chip index slumped 5.1%. Nvidia fell 3.6%, SpaceX dropped 2%, while Advanced Micro Devices’s shares shed 5.6%.

Lise Buyer, partner at IPO advisory firm Class V Group, told CNBC that the “we might obliterate you all” fears surrounding AI may not have an impact on Anthtropic’s IPO timing, but it could alter valuations.

“The dramatic growth and possibilities of these companies, now more publicly coupled with the potential very serious concerns and risks, will likely persist whether the IPO happens in Q4 or next year or whenever,” Buyer explained.

The record capital-spending commitments also indicate that AI development is unlikely to slow down, according to some experts. Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer Ted Pick predicted that AI spending would surpass $1.3 trillion by 2027.

With questions looming about the development of AI models, Anthropic seems keen to proceed with its IPO. Despite the dire warnings of its CEO, the firm seems to be following a business-as-usual strategy regarding its upcoming public issue.

According to reports, Anthropic will list on Nasdaq.