OpenAI projects $70 billion in annual revenue by the end of 2026, but comparing Anthropic’s revenue with OpenAI’s requires attention to what each company counts. The forecast includes sales through cloud partners, unlike OpenAI’s usual accounting, while its reported annualized revenue stood at roughly $50 billion at the end of September 2026.
According to Crypto Briefing, CEO Sam Altman discussed the year-end projection on Bloomberg. The report linked his remarks to expectations for valuation growth and suggested they could influence perceptions of OpenAI’s potential IPO timing.
CNBC separately confirmed the September revenue figure. It reported that a previously circulated $68 billion figure included gross revenue from OpenAI’s partners, citing a person familiar with the matter. That accounting approach helps make the comparison with Anthropic more direct.
How Anthropic and OpenAI revenue accounting compares
OpenAI’s $70 billion projection uses an approach aligned with Anthropic’s: it includes sales through cloud partners. OpenAI typically excludes those sales from its accounting, so the forecast and its usual revenue measure use different bases.
For the Anthropic-versus-OpenAI revenue comparison, CNBC reported that Anthropic told investors its annualized revenue run rate reached $65 billion at the end of July 2026. OpenAI’s September figure and year-end projection refer to different points in time.
The same CNBC report cited an OpenAI investor presentation showing 77% total run-rate growth in the third quarter and 107% enterprise run-rate growth over that period. Those figures provide additional detail on growth alongside the headline projection.
The revenue discussion also sits against OpenAI’s $852 billion valuation and preparations for a public offering, CNBC reported. The company confidentially filed its prospectus with regulators in June 2026, and executives have signaled that they are targeting a 2027 debut.
Article produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.