Anthropic expected to receive high ‘junk’ rating from credit agencies following IPO, report says
Financial reports suggest that AI lab Anthropic is likely to receive a 'junk' credit rating following its upcoming IPO. This potential rating could increase the cost of capital for the company as it continues its aggressive spending on compute power.
Why it matters
Credit ratings significantly impact a company's ability to raise debt, which is crucial for capital-intensive AI startups.
Anthropic is expected to receive a high “junk” rating from credit rating agencies following its initial public offering, according to a report from the Financial Times.
The FT says the investment giant Blackstone, the investment giant and anchor investor in a recent $63 billion deal to finance Anthropic’s chips, told investors in the deal that it expects the AI lab to receive a “high” junk rating after its IPO. Previously, the FT notes, Blackstone had said the opposite: that the Claude-maker would receive an investment-grade rating (indicating low risk for lenders) before 2027 rolls around.
Now, Blackstone expects double B range rating, the top tier of speculative “junk” grade, according to the reporting.
TechCrunch reached out to Anthropic and Blackstone but both declined to comment.
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