Professor Damodaran values Anthropic IPO below range, warns of governance and cost risks
Finance professor Aswath Damodaran said the AI firm Anthropic is worth about $1. 475 trillion, a valuation that falls short of the $1. 5-$2 trillion range outlined in its IPO prospectus, and warned that the company’s voting structure and the heavy expense of its computing operations may deter investors. The prospectus also flagged risks of model misuse for weapons, autonomous AI actions and potential regulatory opposition to its data-centre operations, while noting internal safety concerns among staff.
Indian-origin executives such as CFO Krishna Rao and CTO Rahul Patil have been steering the IPO preparation, and law firm Wilson Sonsini was retained to advise on the Nasdaq listing. Analysts have pointed out that venture investors stand to receive billions from the offering and that Amazon’s convertible notes and preferred-stock holdings could translate into a valuation of nearly $100 billion and extensive cloud-service contracts. Earlier reports described the planned listing as a potential $2 trillion event, underscoring the growing financial stakes in the AI sector.
