Anthropic has passed a major milestone: the company generated $11.5 billion in revenue in the second quarter of 2026, not only surpassing OpenAI’s $6.7 billion in revenue, but also delivering its first positive adjusted operating profit. This information is confirmed by data from Bloomberg, Reuters and other sources, and its importance is evident not only in the numbers, but also in the structural changes in the market, where agent-native workflow solutions are becoming a major component of enterprise AI spending.
Impressive growth rates
Internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg News on August 15, 2026 show that Anthropic’s revenue grew from $787 million in Q2 2025 to $11.5 billion in Q2 2026, a 14x year-over-year increase. Quarter-over-quarter revenue grew 2.4x, with Q1 2026 revenue reaching $4.73 billion. This rapid growth is tied to the company’s strategy of focusing on enterprise-level integration: API usage accounts for 80-85% of total revenue, and Claude Code, an agent-based coding tool, contributed about $8 billion to total quarterly revenue.
Agent-born economy as a structural shift
„Claude Code’s success demonstrates that companies are moving away from simple chatbots to autonomous, code-generating workflows that provide a direct measure of return on investment. This structural shift is also reflected in market share: Anthropic’s annual revenue run rate is estimated to be $65 billion by July 2026, a 34.4% share of the B2B market, compared to OpenAI’s 32.3% share. This data was confirmed by Reuters on August 17, 2026 and The Information.
IPO preparation and valuation challenges
The growth momentum comes with a planned IPO. Anthropic filed a confidential S-1 on June 1, 2026, with the goal of completing a public offering in October. The valuation — $965 billion after cash — suggests that market participants (Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan) are looking at a 15x multiple on revenue, based on a $65 billion cash level. Investors are not only concerned with growth, but also whether that 15x multiple will hold up in the public market, where capital spending on computing infrastructure is becoming increasingly important.
Competitive pressure from Meta
While Anthropic currently dominates the agent-native B2B space, competitors are not leaving room. On August 5, 2026, Meta Platforms introduced Muse Code, a new AI coding agent that costs significantly less than Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex. The move, announced by Yahoo Entertainment, shows that price can become an important competitive factor, especially when companies are looking for efficient solutions on a limited budget.
Challenges and prospects
Anthropic’s achievement of its first positive operating profit shows that the company has not only broadened its revenue base but also achieved operational stability. However, challenges remain: the high computing costs, previously financed by venture capital, now have to be covered by organic revenue. This changes the dynamics of negotiations with hardware suppliers and could affect future growth.
Future predictions
Market watchers are wondering whether this growth is sustainable or just the initial wave of agent adoption. If Anthropic can maintain its $65 billion annual revenue growth rate and continue to grow its profitability, it could become a long-term leader in the agent-native AI space. On the other hand, competitive pressure from Meta and potential regulatory changes could affect the company’s strategy.
However, current figures show that the agent-based enterprise economy has already reached maturity, and Anthropic is currently its main architect.
Sources
- Forkast.news – Anthropic's Q2 Revenue Overtook OpenAI for the First Time – And Reached Its First Positive Operating Income
- Yahoo Entertainment - Meta Platforms (META) Undercuts Anthropic and OpenAI on Price With New Coding Agent
