Anthropic beats OpenAI in revenue for the first time

Anthropic's sales hit $11.6 billion last quarter. OpenAI's grew just 18%, to $6.7 billion. That's the first time Anthropic has out-earned OpenAI in a single quarter, multiple outlets reported Wednesday. Both companies make rival AI chatbots — Claude and ChatGPT. Both are also racing toward an eventual IPO.

The two companies are chasing money in different ways. OpenAI leans on ChatGPT's huge free consumer user base. But turning free users into paying ones has been slow. Anthropic built Claude mostly for businesses and developers who pay per use. That's paying off faster right now. Neither number is audited. Both come from investor briefings and reporting, not public filings, since neither company has actually gone public yet.

Keep reading — what to watch

Will Anthropic's lead hold once OpenAI's growth picks back up? Investors are watching closely. OpenAI's own finance chief told staff this week the company will be public by 2027 at the latest. Whoever proves they can turn AI use into steady income first will set the bar. Every other AI company will get measured against it.