Financial documents from artificial intelligence startups Anthropic and OpenAI reveal two vastly different business strategies. Berber Jin reports for The Wall Street Journal that Anthropic is on a path to become profitable much faster than its larger rival by taking a more cautious approach to growth. The documents, which were shared with investors, show that Anthropic expects to break even in 2028.
In contrast, OpenAI forecasts an operating loss of approximately $74 billion for the same year. The company behind ChatGPT does not expect to turn a profit until 2030, after burning through significantly more cash than Anthropic. This high-spending strategy reflects CEO Sam Altman’s ambition to build a dominant technology giant.
OpenAI is investing heavily in computing power, including chips and data centers, and is expanding into costly areas like video generation with its Sora model. An OpenAI spokesperson stated that every dollar invested in infrastructure helps serve its millions of users. The company’s financial commitments for computing are projected to be substantial.
Anthropic is focusing its resources on selling its Claude chatbot to corporate customers, which account for about 80 percent of its revenue. It is avoiding the high computing costs associated with image and video generation. The company’s more measured plan keeps its spending more aligned with its revenue growth.
