The market is pricing Anthropic's IPO announcement as virtually guaranteed for 2026, with the "before October 1" contract surging to 95¢ from 50¢ — a 45¢ jump that suggests new information is driving trader conviction. Anthropic has hired Wilson Sonsini to prepare for an initial public offering that could take place as early as 2026, according to Financial Times reporting, with the law firm known for managing Google's 2004 and LinkedIn's 2011 IPOs.

Management had estimated 2026 annual run-rate revenue between $20 billion to $26 billion late last year, but recent reports now put this figure at $30 billion, providing fundamental support for the accelerated timeline. The December contract also jumped to 95¢ from 69¢, indicating markets expect the announcement well before year-end. With valuations already circulating in the $200–400 billion range and the company privately valued at $380 billion, traders are positioning for what could become one of the largest tech IPOs in history, potentially beating OpenAI to market in the process.