Anthropic is expected to receive a high “junk” rating from credit rating agencies after its initial public offering, the Financial Times reported.
Investment giant Blackstone, the lead investor in the recent $63 billion deal funding Anthropic’s chips, told investors in the deal that it expects AI Labs to receive a “high” junk rating after its IPO, according to the FT. The FT previously noted that Blackstone had said the opposite, saying Claude Maker would receive an investment-grade rating (indicating lower risk for lenders) before the start of 2027.
According to reports, Blackstone currently expects a rating of twice the B range, the top of the speculative “junk” grade.
TechCrunch reached out to Anthropic and Blackstone, but both companies declined to comment.
Blackstone’s forecast is just a prediction, but of course a higher junk rating would make it more difficult and costly for Anthropic to continue to finance the huge spending that has supported its business. The institute has racked up large computing power deals and increased spending over the past 12 months, worrying investors.
Anthropic formally filed to go public earlier this week, sparking a wave of speculation about how the massive IPO would impact the broader AI industry.
