10-30-2026 
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TL;DR: Anthropic made its IPO filing public, aiming to list on Nasdaq as “ANT” at a valuation of up to $2 trillion, despite an $80.7 billion first-half net loss. Meanwhile, Sweden’s government blocked browser-based versions of ChatGPT and Claude over data security concerns, and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) offered buyouts to about 60,000 employees as it balances AI spending with cost cuts.
Key Takeaways:
- Anthropic made its S-1 public on October 26, 2026, planning to list Class A shares on Nasdaq under “ANT”, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley leading the offering.
- Anthropic’s IPO could raise $100 billion at a valuation of up to $2 trillion, which would top SpaceX’s record $86 billion June listing.
- Sweden’s Government Offices blocked access to ChatGPT and Claude in web browsers on work computers, citing information security risks.
- Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, roughly 27% of its 223,000-person workforce, across the U.S., Canada, India, and the U.K.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rarely far from the headlines, and this past week was no exception.
Public investors may soon gain their first direct stake in a major United States frontier AI lab after Anthropic filed for an IPO on Monday. The listing lands in a week that also brought fresh reminders of AI’s costs, both to data security and the workforce, as Sweden banned government employees from using certain AI models at work and Microsoft looks to cut back on staff, again.
AI company Anthropic announces IPO
Anthropic announced on October 26 that it had filed S-1 registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq, in a move that would make the company the first large frontier AI lab to go public and provide a major test of investor interest in the technology.
The company filed confidentially with the SEC in June, but it only made its S-1 registration public on Monday. In an accompanying press release, Anthropic said it intended to list its Class A common stock on Nasdaq under the symbol “ANT,” with the shares to be offered and the price range not yet determined. It is also not clear exactly when the initial offering would take place, with some reports pointing to a mid-November debut.
Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI staff, Anthropic was valued at $965 billion in a private round in May. Goldman Sachs (NASDAQ: GS) and Morgan Stanley (NASDAQ: MS) lead the newly announced public offering and could reportedly raise $100 billion at a valuation of up to $2 trillion, which would top SpaceX’s record $86 billion June listing.
In its filing, Anthropic showed its phenomenal growth over the past few years, with revenue of $41 million, $386 million, and $4.6 billion in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, representing year-over-year growth rates of 841% and 1,088%. This year, in the six months ending June 30, the company reported revenue of $16.3 billion, representing a year-over-year growth rate of 1,300%.
However, it has not all been smooth sailing; Anthropic’s net loss for the first half of 2026 was $80.7 billion.
Until now, these numbers were known only through leaks and private rounds, but as a public company, Anthropic would need to file audited quarterly results and disclose material risks, marking a big shift for an industry that has been fairly opaque.
The quoted figures also raise the question of whether public investors will accept a sky-high price for a business with huge growth but heavy long-term financial obligations, and thus, how ANT trades will likely shape sentiment towards the whole sector.
OpenAI is the obvious comparison. The AI giant also filed confidentially in June, but in a recent interview with Fortune, Sam Altman reportedly said that OpenAI wouldn’t go public in 2026, calling the timing ill-advised given the safety environment.
While the powerhouses of AI move closer to public offerings, questions remain about the effects of their products, not least in security and employment, with some countries looking to curb their use in critical areas.
The Swedish government blocks ChatGPT and Claude
In Sweden, a government ban on employees using browser-based versions of ChatGPT and Claude on their work computers took effect on October 26, amid security concerns relating to the processing of sensitive data.
On Monday, Sweden’s Government Offices (Regeringskansliet), which support the prime minister and ministries, cut off staff access to ChatGPT and Claude at work, blocking the public browser versions, not the models themselves.
In an email sent to the local outlet SVT, the Government Offices said the browser interfaces for the two services would no longer be accessible from October 26, but that staff would still have access to the ChatGPT and Claude language models through Intric, an internal platform.
Staff were instead directed to Microsoft Copilot, which the Government Offices approved after a review that tightened its security.
The measure, which became public on October 23 when Sveriges Radio’s Ekot reported it, was an internal IT decision, not legislation. According to a government intranet post by digitization director Mikael Wettercrantz, cited by Ekot, the move was due to concerns that using AI services without an agreement could have “consequences for our information security.”
The Government Offices are not the first to implement AI controls. According to an Ekot survey, both the Swedish Tax Agency and the State Institutions Board have already introduced restrictions on AI services, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority is investigating corresponding measures.
Similar action has also been taken further afield. In February, the European Parliament disabled AI features on all its work devices, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot.
While Microsoft Copilot was conspicuously absent from the Swedish AI ban, the company was unable to avoid grabbing headlines for other reasons this week, as the tech giant reportedly offered voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees as part of an AI efficiency drive.
Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 staff
Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees across four countries, its second such scheme this year, as it tries to rein in costs while spending heavily on AI infrastructure.
According to an October 26 report by U.S. outlet CNBC, the company’s chief people officer, Amy Coleman, sent staff a memo on Monday announcing the “voluntary exit offer,” which is open to employees in participating teams in the U.S., Canada, India, and the United Kingdom at internal level 70 and below, with some marketing, sales, and engineering teams excluded.
Citing “a person familiar with the matter” who preferred to remain anonymous, CNBC revealed that around 60,000 people qualify for the buyout— roughly 27% of Microsoft’s 223,000-strong workforce—but Microsoft has not set a target for how many staff it wants to take up the offer.
In a blog post from Coleman on Monday, Microsoft said the scheme is time-limited and offers financial support and career-planning assistance, adding that it drew on lessons from the Voluntary Retirement Program the company ran earlier this year.
However, the new offer goes much further than April’s retirement program, as that scheme was limited to U.S. staff at the senior director level and below whose age and years of service added up to at least 70. About 7% of U.S. employees were eligible, and Microsoft said in July that more than 30% of those had signed up.
The latest buyouts also come after a recent round of involuntary cuts. In July, Microsoft announced it would be eliminating 4,800 jobs, about 2.1% of its global headcount, with many of the losses falling on its Xbox gaming business.
The new Microsoft offer is no surprise when viewed in the broader context of AI-related job cuts, with companies around the globe reducing staff as they shift towards AI, particularly in the tech space. In April, Meta (NASDAQ: META) announced plans to lay off 10% of its global workforce—around 8,000 employees—in addition to eliminating 6,000 unfilled positions.
Microsoft itself published a report earlier this year that found that AI use had risen by 1.5 percentage points, from 16.3% to 17.8% of the world’s working-age population. In 2026, AI adoption surged, with 26 economies now having over 30% of working adults utilizing AI.
For investors, the story is about cash. Microsoft has been pumping money into data centers to meet customer demand for AI computing capacity; the new buyouts may be part of the tech giant’s effort to align that spending with tighter capital discipline.
Regarding the latest cost-cutting attempt, the company has not said how many employees it expects to take the deal or what the program will cost.
FAQs:
When is the Anthropic IPO?
No date is set yet. Anthropic made its S-1 public on October 26, but says the share count and price range are undetermined.
What is Anthropic’s IPO valuation?
Anthropic was valued at $965 billion in a private round in May. The IPO could reportedly raise $100 billion at a valuation of up to $2 trillion, which would top SpaceX’s record $86 billion June listing.
What is Anthropic’s stock ticker?
Anthropic plans to list its Class A common stock on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “ANT.”
Is OpenAI going public in 2026?
Probably not. OpenAI also filed confidentially in June, but Sam Altman reportedly told Fortune that OpenAI wouldn’t go public in 2026.
Why did Sweden ban ChatGPT and Claude?
Sweden’s Government Offices blocked browser versions of both tools on work computers as of October 26, citing information security risks associated with using AI services without an agreement.
Is Sweden banning AI models completely?
No. The block covers only public browser versions of ChatGPT and Claude on government work computers. Staff can still access both language models through Intric, an internal platform, and can use Microsoft Copilot, which was approved after a security review.
How many Microsoft employees are being offered buyouts?
About 60,000 employees qualify, roughly 27% of Microsoft’s 223,000 workforce. The voluntary offer covers eligible staff in the U.S., Canada, India, and the U.K. at internal level 70 and below. Microsoft has set no uptake target.
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