Anthropic is weighing whether to accelerate the release of a new frontier AI model as OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra opens up its first material lead over Claude Fable in enterprise spending in more than two-and-a-half years, according to a Reuters report published September 18, 2026. The internal deliberation is landing at the same time the company markets an initial public offering that could push into the post-midterms window if timing slips.
Astra grabs the enterprise lead
OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra now accounts for about 13% of enterprise AI spending tracked by corporate expense platform Ramp, versus roughly 8% for Anthropic's Claude Fable, per Reuters. It is the first time in over 30 months that OpenAI has led Anthropic on OpenRouter developer spend as well — the shift matters because enterprise AI economics have become the primary story investors are underwriting for both companies. Meta is separately reported to be actively looking to reduce its reliance on Anthropic-hosted models inside its own products.
Revenue picture still favors Anthropic — for now
Anthropic ended July at more than a $65 billion annualized revenue run rate, versus roughly $40 billion for OpenAI. Full-year 2025 revenue came in around $9 billion, and internal projections point to $190 billion to $200 billion by 2028. But that trajectory depends on holding enterprise mindshare — hence the debate over whether to ship a new model now rather than later.
Amodei's slowdown call vs. the ship-it pressure
CEO Dario Amodei has publicly argued that "we must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models," and Anthropic is running additional safety evaluation on the candidate model. That collides with the same shareholders pushing for a demonstrable competitive answer to Astra ahead of a road show. Anthropic is also balancing incremental profitability against continued spend on frontier training runs.
What to watch into IPO marketing
The next 60 days matter: an Anthropic model launch would set the messaging for the IPO road show, expected to run mid-October at the earliest but potentially deferred until after the November U.S. midterm elections. A slip past November would let OpenAI extend the Astra window uncontested, but also gives Anthropic room to demonstrate revenue continues to climb even without a top-line new model.
Related coverage on The Robotics Media: Anthropic Claude Fable 5.1 launch, OpenAI GPT-6 Astra rollout, and Anthropic 26% AI R&D automation study.
Reporting based on coverage from Reuters, AOL Business and Investing.com.