Anthropic weighs shareholder sales in IPO alongside longer lockups

Anthropic is considering allowing existing shareholders to sell stock directly in its upcoming initial public offering while imposing longer than usual restrictions on additional sales after the listing, according to The Information.

The structure would give early investors and employees an opportunity to take some liquidity during the IPO while limiting the amount of stock that could enter the market shortly after trading begins.

The approach would differ from other major technology listings this year, including SpaceX and Cerebras, which restricted existing shareholders from selling shares in their offerings.

Anthropic is also considering extended post IPO lockup periods designed to reduce the risk of heavy selling pressure following its market debut.

Traditional IPO lockups typically prevent insiders from selling shares for a set period after a listing. Anthropic’s proposed structure would instead provide some liquidity at the IPO while potentially keeping remaining holdings locked for longer.

The Claude developer has been preparing for a major public listing as its valuation has surged alongside investor demand for artificial intelligence companies.

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