Anthropic Has Quietly Overtaken OpenAI on Revenue

For years, 'the AI race' basically meant OpenAI. That is no longer quite true. Anthropic, the maker of Claude, has overtaken OpenAI on self-reported revenue and expects to be profitable a year sooner. The company once seen as the safety-focused underdog is now setting the pace, and OpenAI is feeling the pressure.

The numbers tell the story. Anthropic said in May it was on track for a 47 billion dollar annualized revenue run rate and expects to turn a profit by 2029. OpenAI, by comparison, has guided to 25 to 33 billion dollars annualized, with profitability targeted a year later. On the revenue scoreboard, the challenger has pulled ahead of the company that started the boom.

Anthropic's strength is in business and coding. Claude has become a favorite for software development and enterprise work, where companies pay real money for reliable, capable AI, and that has driven its revenue faster than consumer chatbots alone. It was also just named the top company on a closely watched list of disruptors, ahead of OpenAI. Winning the enterprise has paid off.

The shift has OpenAI rethinking its position. Its leader has been talking about a 'new world order' for AI as the company loses ground not just to Anthropic but to Google, whose Gemini models have surged. The days when OpenAI was the obvious, uncontested leader are over, and it is now competing hard on price, products and partnerships. The crown is being contested.

The honest caveat is that these are self-reported figures and one snapshot. Revenue run rates can be measured in flattering ways, OpenAI still has far more consumer users and brand recognition, and the lead could change again as new models launch. Being ahead on revenue is not the same as winning the market. This race is far from settled.

So the AI hierarchy has quietly reshuffled, with Anthropic now leading on revenue and profitability timelines while OpenAI regroups. A 47 billion dollar run rate, an earlier path to profit, and a top spot among disruptors. For years the AI race was shorthand for OpenAI. On the revenue scoreboard, at least, that is no longer the case.