Anthropic is on track to post its first operating profit in the second quarter of 2026, according to financial projections reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, as the artificial intelligence startup’s revenue trajectory outpaces comparisons to Google, Facebook, and Zoom at similar stages of growth.
Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.
yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.
By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
The company projects $10.9 billion in revenue for the June quarter, up 130% from $4.8 billion in the first quarter. It expects operating income of $559 million for the period. The figures were shared with investors as part of an ongoing funding round that could push Anthropic’s valuation above that of OpenAI.
The numbers represent a sharp reversal from financial guidance Anthropic gave investors last summer, which suggested the company did not expect to turn a full-year profit until at least 2028. Anthropic cautioned that it may not sustain profitability for the full year, given planned spending increases tied to computing infrastructure. The operating profit figure includes model training costs but excludes stock-based compensation.
Demand for Anthropic’s coding tools has been the primary growth driver, with enterprises accelerating adoption across industries. The company’s Claude model has drawn attention for its ability to handle agentic commerce.
CEO Dario Amodei acknowledged the pace at a developer conference earlier this month, saying revenue growth had become “too hard to handle.”
Compute efficiency is improving alongside growth. In the first quarter, Anthropic spent 71 cents on compute for every dollar of revenue. That ratio is expected to fall to 56 cents in the current quarter. The company relies primarily on chips from Google and Amazon rather than Nvidia, and has made more conservative data-center spending commitments than rival OpenAI, which the Journal says has helped contain costs. Anthropic also carries fewer free consumer users than OpenAI, reducing the subsidy burden that weighs on ChatGPT’s economics.
Advertisement: Scroll to Continue
The growth comes as Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX each pursue public listings that could value all three companies above $1 trillion. OpenAI may file IPO paperwork as early as this week, the Journal reported. Anthropic’s path to that milestone runs through sustained enterprise demand and continued improvement on its compute-to-revenue ratio, both of which its current projections suggest are within reach.
For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.
Anthropic On Track for First Operating Profit as Revenue Surges
House Hearing Puts Bank-FinTech Oversight in the Spotlight
Home Depot and Lowe’s Are Turning Into Software Platforms for Contractors
AI Fraud Now Fakes the Whole Meeting
Get PYMNTS Today, AI, B2B and more.
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
