Anthropic is considering rolling out a new AI model to counter OpenAI's momentum since its launch of GPT-6 Astra, according to three sources cited in a Reuters exclusive, ahead of an expected IPO and just weeks after its own chief executive called for an industrywide slowdown.
The potential launch, aimed at addressing competitive pressure from a direct rival, would put Anthropic's commercial strategy on a collision course with the public position of its CEO, Dario Amodei, who urged the global AI community on September 12 to release new capabilities more slowly so safety testing could catch up. For more context on this story, see our ongoing artificial intelligence updates.
A Launch Timed Against Astra
"We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models," Amodei wrote in a 3,800-word essay published September 12. That essay, which painted a bleak picture of swarms of AI agents taking over the internet and outpacing human control, drew support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The timing of a potential launch, Reuters reported, follows that call — and sources told the wire service that Anthropic is evaluating the safety of its next model as part of its deliberations over a release. Some of the company's internal discussions involve how to balance investment in releasing new models against efforts to strengthen profitability, as rising interest rates make investors more focused on the timing of expected returns, people familiar with the company's thinking said.
Anthropic declined to comment for the story.
Astra's Enterprise Surge
The competitive pressure is real. OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra on September 3, touting gains in computer use, software engineering, cybersecurity and professional work — and the model has received a strong response from enterprise users and developers.
The numbers tell the story. Astra accounted for about 13% of enterprise AI spending tracked by corporate expense platform Ramp, compared with about 8% for Anthropic's Claude Fable, according to the latest data cited by Reuters. On OpenRouter, a widely used platform that routes developer traffic across AI models, users spent more on OpenAI models than on Anthropic models last week — the first time OpenAI has led on that measure in more than two and a half years.
That shift has prompted some investors who are preparing for Anthropic's IPO to re-evaluate the company's position as the leading provider of enterprise AI tools, Reuters reported, with potential investors scrutinizing whether OpenAI could begin taking share from the incumbent.
Anthropic Keeps the Revenue Lead — for Now
Despite the momentum shift, Anthropic's scale remains formidable. The company's annualized revenue run rate topped $65 billion by the end of July, up from about $9 billion at the end of 2025, according to Reuters. It is also projecting 2028 revenue of roughly $190 billion to $200 billion, figures Reuters previously reported. OpenAI's annualized revenue run rate passed $40 billion in July.
Some existing investors, and those expecting to invest in both companies' IPOs, told Reuters they do not believe Astra poses a significant threat to Anthropic, given the size of its lead in enterprise AI and how long it typically takes to unseat incumbent vendors at large companies. Investors also expect leadership among Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and other major AI developers to shift repeatedly as new model generations arrive, making any advantage potentially short-lived.
Open-Source Pressure and a Wavering Meta
A potentially bigger challenge, investors told Reuters, comes from outside the Anthropic-OpenAI duel: the rise of open-source and open-weight models, which can lower token costs and let companies build more of their own AI infrastructure rather than rely on commercial providers — with tough competition from Chinese providers adding to the pressure on the industry's economics.
That pressure is already visible among Anthropic's own customers. Meta Platforms has been among Anthropic's largest customers, but is looking to reduce its use of Anthropic's models as it develops more AI capabilities internally, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
OpenAI, meanwhile, has taken some pressure off its own race to public markets. CEO Sam Altman confirmed on Saturday that the company would not go public in 2026, saying concerns around AI safety made this an ill-advised time for a listing.
Safety Identity vs. Competitive Reality
Anthropic's IPO timing remains in flux: two people familiar with the matter told Reuters the company could push the offering to after the November US midterm elections, with the elections not expected to have a major impact. Marketing was already expected to begin in mid-October at the earliest, per Reuters' previous reporting, after earlier plans slipped.
The deliberations over a new model will test something more fundamental than market share. Anthropic has spent years building a safety-first identity that distinguishes it from its rivals — and its CEO has just asked the entire industry to slow down. A launch aimed squarely at countering Astra would force Anthropic to argue that a company can urge restraint on the industry while racing itself, a message that will be parsed closely by customers, regulators and the investors weighing one of the largest IPOs in years.
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