Anthropic’s Revenue Surpasses OpenAI for the First Time
Anthropic’s revenue passed OpenAI’s for the first time last quarter, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. OpenAI, however, reported a 18% growth in revenue to $6.7 billion, but its operating loss widened to $12.3 billion.
August 19, 2026
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OpenAI’s Performance:
- OpenAI’s revenue rose from $5.7 billion in Q1 to $6.7 billion in Q2.
- Despite the revenue increase, its operating loss expanded significantly.
Anthropic’s Success:
- Anthropic more than doubled its revenue to a staggering $11.6 billion in the same period.
- This marked the first time its sales surpassed OpenAI’s.
- Anthropic also achieved a small operating profit, while OpenAI’s loss widened.
Context and Implications:
For OpenAI, a $7 billion quarter, while impressive for most startups, falls short of investor expectations given their ambitious growth projections. The company is facing increasing competition from AI rivals like Anthropic, CoreWeave, and Micron, who are all making significant strides in the field.
OpenAI argues that its growth rate has improved since launching new models in July, with revenue from business customers rising by 32%. However, they still face challenges in controlling losses while scaling operations.
Future Outlook:
OpenAI is gearing up for an IPO and is working to streamline its product offerings, combining its Codex coding tool, ChatGPT, and a web browser into a "super app." Co-founder Greg Brockman is taking a more direct role in product and business development in an attempt to revive growth.