Anthropic’s rise is giving some OpenAI investors second thoughts

In Brief Posted: 7:31 PM PDT · April 14, 2026 Connie Loizos Anthropic's rise is giving some OpenAI investors second thoughts OpenAI's $852 billion valuation is facing skepticism from some of its own investors as the company scrambles to reorient itself around enterprise customers and fend off Anthropic, according to the Financial Times . Anthropic's annualized revenue jumped from $9 billion at the end of 2025 to $30 billion by the end of March, driven largely by demand for its coding tools. One investor who has backed both companies told the FT that justifying OpenAI's round required assuming an IPO valuation of $1.2 trillion or more — making Anthropic's current $380 billion valuation look like the relative bargain. The secondary market tells a similar story right now, where demand for Anthropic shares has grown nearly insatiable while OpenAI shares are trading at a discount . Altman has been here before. During his tenure leading Y Combinator, aggressive valuation inflation left some portfolio companies financially stranded while others proved worth every penny and then some. Iconiq Capital partner Roy Luo — whose firm has invested over $1 billion in Anthropic while holding a smaller stake in OpenAI — told the FT where he stood. "There's room for both, but there is fundamentally a number one and a number two dynamic, and the number one will win disproportionately," he said. "We picked." OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar pushed back, telling the FT that the company's $122 billion raise — the largest private fundraising in history — was evidence of continued investor confidence. Topics AI , Anthropic , iconiq capital , OpenAI April 30 San Francisco, CA StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related Startups AI data center startup Fluidstack in talks for $1B round at $18B valuation months after hitting $7.5B, says report Julie Bort 5 hours ago Security Someone planted backdoors in dozens of WordPress plug-ins used in thousands of websites Zack Whittaker 8 hours ago AI Anthropic co-founder confirms the company briefed the Trump administration on Mythos Sarah Perez 8 hours ago Latest in AI In Brief Anthropic's rise is giving some OpenAI investors second thoughts Connie Loizos 12 seconds ago AI Anthropic co-founder confirms the company briefed the Trump administration on Mythos Sarah Perez 8 hours ago Biotech & Health Max Hodak’s Science Corp. is preparing to place its first sensor in a human brain Tim Fernholz 9 hours ago