Critic says an OpenAI or Anthropic IPO would hand the bag to retail investors
MatthewChang · x · 2026-07-23
A quoted post argues that the real money in AI is made before IPO, not after: once the bag is passed to nurses, firefighters, police officers, and other retail investors, the VC exit is already underway. The cited comment adds that Anthropic or OpenAI going public would be another case of firms cashing out on retail, with circular deal flow from pre-seed to Series A-Z and then a “big dump” onto public investors.
The broader point is a skeptical take on AI IPOs: public-market buying can become the final liquidity event for insiders and funds, rather than a new growth phase for ordinary investors.
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