NYC Comptroller Urges Anthropic to Delay IPO

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine urged Anthropic to delay its planned initial public offering until the company addresses concerns about artificial intelligence safety, governance and the pace of development, according to a letter he sent to CEO Dario Amodei on October 14. The request does not establish that Anthropic will change its offering plans. Levine called on the company to pause the IPO process and said it should explain the audits and controls it intends to implement, what risks those measures would cover and when they would be put in place. He also asked Anthropic to explain whether the controls would address Amodei’s own call for a slower pace of AI development. In the letter, Levine argued that preparing for a public offering could divert resources and attention from safety work. He pointed to concerns about increasingly capable AI systems and the need for governance measures. The request reflects Levine’s position; the sources do not establish that the cited risks have caused specific harm. The comptroller oversees New York City’s pension funds. His office said the funds had about $7 million in exposure to Anthropic. The office has also reported that the...