NYC comptroller urges Anthropic to pause IPO over AI safety

New York City Comptroller Mark D. Levine urged Anthropic to pause its planned initial public offering until the company fully and transparently addresses concerns about AI safety, governance and the pace of model development. He made the request in an October 14 letter to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

The letter is a public request from a city official, not an order, regulation or enforcement action. Levine asked Anthropic to respond in writing. The available evidence does not show that the company agreed to pause the process or changed an IPO schedule.

Levine wrote in his capacity as investment adviser, custodian and a trustee of New York City’s five public pension funds, which the letter said hold more than $325 billion in assets. The comptroller’s pension oversight description confirms that the office advises all five pension boards on investments, holds pension assets in custody and has a trustee role.

The comptroller asked Anthropic to explain how it would implement audits and controls, what those measures would cover and when they would take effect. He also asked whether and how the controls would address Amodei’s call to slow advances in AI model capabilities.

Levine argued that preparing for a public offering draws resources and attention away from safety and governance work. He said prospective investors need enough information to assess Anthropic’s development strategy, governance commitments and risk landscape before the company proceeds.

The letter cited reports that an offering could value Anthropic at about $2 trillion. That is a reported prospective valuation, not a confirmed offering price or completed transaction, and the letter does not establish a listing date. The request concerns the same IPO process examined in earlier coverage of Anthropic’s prospectus and risk disclosures.

Levine ended the letter by requesting a written response and offering to discuss the issues further.