Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

No Buyers for $600 Million OpenAI Shares as $2 Billion Cash Buyers Queue for Anthropic

According to 1M AI News, OpenAI recently completed a $12.2 billion financing round at a valuation of $852 billion, but the secondary market tells a different story. Ken Smythe, founder of secondary trading firm Next Round Capital, stated that in recent weeks, about six institutional investors (including hedge funds and venture capital) approached him wanting to sell a total of approximately $600 million in OpenAI shares, which would have been snapped up within days last year, but now there is no interest. "We can't find any of the hundreds of institutional investors willing to take it on," he said, noting that his company has facilitated $2.5 billion in transactions. Meanwhile, "buyers have indicated they are ready to invest $2 billion in Anthropic." Secondary platforms Augment and Hiive have also recorded record demand for Anthropic. Adam Crawley, co-founder of Augment, stated that the valuation gap between OpenAI at $852 billion and Anthropic at $380 billion is driving investors to rush for the latter: "Now is a better risk-return. People are betting that Anthropic's valuation will catch up to OpenAI, but the near-term returns for buying OpenAI are less clear." Both Next Round and Augment's offers have pushed Anthropic's valuation to about $600 billion, a premium of over 50% compared to the last funding round; Hiive co-founder Prab Rattan noted that demand for Anthropic on the platform has exceeded $1.6 billion, also at a premium. Crawley described this demand as "essentially unlimited." For OpenAI, the buy offers recorded by Next Round correspond to a valuation of about $765 billion, a discount of about 10% from the previous $850 billion. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have begun distributing OpenAI shares to wealth clients without charging carry fees, while Goldman continues to charge the usual 15%-20% profit share for Anthropic. The logic of primary market financing and secondary market trading differs: in primary financing, existing shareholders are often invited to co-invest to maintain their ownership percentage; rather than refuse (which founders may not want to see), it is better to buy in first and then reduce exposure in the secondary market. Some investors are cautious about OpenAI's high operational costs. The company's commitments to infrastructure spending in the coming years far exceed those of Anthropic, and consumer revenue accounts for about 60%, with slow expansion in enterprise clients; Anthropic, on the other hand, has captured the higher-margin enterprise market, and Crawley believes its growth curve is therefore stronger. Both companies do not allow investors to trade shares in the secondary market without permission, but through mechanisms like special purpose vehicles (SPVs), these shares are still available on multiple platforms. An OpenAI spokesperson responded that the company "has recently established authorized channels through banks for individuals to participate, with zero fees, to combat the high-fee broker model," and reminded investors to "be highly vigilant against any companies claiming to hold OpenAI equity (including through SPVs)."

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • BTC Surpasses $82,000

    Market data shows that BTC has surpassed $82,000, currently priced at $82,038.65, with a 24-hour increase of 0.31%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.
  • ETH Surpasses $2400

    Market data shows that ETH has surpassed $2400, currently priced at $2400.26, with a 24-hour decline of 1.33%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.
  • BTC Surpasses $81,000

    Market data shows that BTC has surpassed $81,000, currently priced at $81,016.34, with a 24-hour decline of 1.53%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.
  • BTC Falls Below $80,000

    Market data shows that BTC has fallen below $80,000, currently priced at $79,940.09, with a 24-hour decline of 3.44%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.
  • Philadelphia Semiconductor Index Set to Lose Over $2 Trillion in Market Value in Seven Trading Days

    The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index is poised to evaporate over $2 trillion in market value within seven trading days.
  • Philadelphia Semiconductor Index Drops 4% to Lowest Level in Nearly a Month

    The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell by 4.01% during the day, currently reported at 11,215.37 points. Nvidia dropped by 3.25%, Broadcom fell by 2.87%, Micron decreased by 5.79%, Intel declined by 5.81%, AMD dropped by 6.28%, Qualcomm rose by 0.66%, TSMC fell by 4.37%, and ASML decreased by 3.34%.
  • Philadelphia Semiconductor Index Falls 4% to Lowest Level in Nearly a Month

    The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 4.01% during the day, currently reported at 11,215.37 points. Nvidia fell by 3.25%, Broadcom by 2.87%, Micron by 5.79%, Intel by 5.81%, AMD by 6.28%, Qualcomm rose by 0.66%, TSMC fell by 4.37%, and ASML dropped by 3.34%.
  • Ripple Prime Launches Perpetual Contract Trading Services for Institutional Clients

    According to Bloomberg, Ripple's main brokerage division, Ripple Prime, is launching perpetual contracts for real-world assets (RWA) aimed at institutional clients, covering over 100 reference markets including stocks, indices, ETFs, and commodities. This product is offered through Trade.xyz on Hyperliquid, continuing Ripple Prime's previous initiative to provide clients with access to cryptocurrency perpetual contract trading.
  • NYC Comptroller Urges Anthropic to Pause IPO Plans

    On October 15, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine stated in an interview that he has written to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, urging the company to suspend its planned initial public offering (IPO). In the letter, he called for Anthropic to pause its IPO plans until it can fully and transparently address concerns related to AI safety, governance, and development that the company itself has raised. Levine wrote that the company should focus on mitigating these risks rather than advancing the IPO. Currently, New York City has an investment exposure of less than $10 million in Anthropic through the private market.
  • US September PPI Rises 6.3% Year-on-Year, Exceeding Market Expectations

    The US Producer Price Index (PPI) for September recorded a year-on-year increase of 6.3%, the highest since May 2026, surpassing market expectations of 5.3%. The month-on-month PPI for September was reported at 1.3%, significantly higher than the market forecast of 0.5%. Additionally, US retail sales for September showed a month-on-month increase of 0.8%, also exceeding market expectations.