New York City Comptroller Calls for Anthropic to Delay IPO: Address AI Risks Before Going Public
New York City's public pension funds hold approximately $7 million in equity exposure to Anthropic. As the AI company prepares for a potential mega‑IPO, issues of technological safety, corporate governance, and the long-term fiduciary responsibilities of public funds converge.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine has called on the artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic to delay its U.S. stock market debut. This request adds fresh external pressure on Anthropic, which is preparing for a potentially mega‑scale IPO, and brings risk management for advanced AI systems to the forefront of the public‑listing agenda.
According to a Reuters report, Levin stated in a letter to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Wednesday, local time, that the company should first address the relevant risks before moving forward with its IPO. He wrote: "Rather than pressing ahead with the IPO, the company would be better off focusing on tackling these unprecedented risks."
Levin's key concerns include the safety of AI systems, corporate governance, and whether the pace of technological advancement has outstripped regulatory and risk-management capabilities.
Over the past year, AI systems have advanced rapidly, and their potential risks have drawn increasing attention, including cybersecurity threats and the possibility of technological misuse. Anthropic's own research has also highlighted the challenges posed by increasingly autonomous AI models: in controlled tests, these systems demonstrated certain potentially harmful capabilities, such as generating malicious code, facilitating fraud, and manipulating information.
Public pension investment exposure intersects with listing plans in practice.
Levine's position lends special weight to his call. The New York City Comptroller is responsible for managing the city government's finances, overseeing public spending, and participating in the administration of New York City's public pension system. According to a Reuters report, the New York City Public Pension Fund currently holds approximately $7 million in equity exposure to Anthropic.
This means that Anthropic's risk governance is not only a matter of technological policy but also entails responsibilities related to the stewardship of public funds. As AI companies prepare for IPOs, long-term investors such as pension funds must assess firms' potential returns while factoring in how technological safety, governance frameworks, and associated risks may impact the long-term value of their investments.
Anthropic's IPO is reportedly slated to proceed as early as November, with a target valuation exceeding $2 trillion. If it goes public at that valuation, it would become one of the largest-ever offerings on the public markets. Meanwhile, its rival OpenAI is expected to list in 2027.
During its preparations for an IPO, Anthropic has also been showcasing its business growth to potential investors. According to earlier reports, the company's third-quarter revenue rose 45% from the second quarter, reaching $16.8 billion. This robust performance, coupled with growing external scrutiny over safety governance, has made the balance between commercial expansion and risk management a key issue ahead of the listing.
As of the time this report was published, Anthropic had not yet issued a public response to Levin's call for a temporary suspension of the IPO. It remains unclear whether this appeal will affect the company's planned timetable for going public.
Edited by melody