SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic line up big IPO plans for 2026

In short: Several of the biggest AI and space companies are preparing to go public, and it could reshape the IPO calendar in 2026.

What's going on

SpaceX has confidentially filed paperwork for an IPO, which is when a private company sells shares to the public for the first time. Filing confidentially means the company can share details with regulators before showing them to everyone.

According to the report, SpaceX is aiming to raise about $75 billion. It also plans to set aside about one third of the shares for retail investors, meaning everyday people who buy stocks through brokerage apps, not just large funds.

OpenAI and Anthropic, two major companies building AI models (software that learns patterns from large amounts of data, a bit like an autocomplete system that learned from a huge library), are also preparing for potential public offerings in 2026. OpenAI recently announced $122 billion in funding in total, including a $100 billion funding round, and Anthropic’s private shares are seeing very strong demand.

These possible IPOs come as global venture funding, money invested in young companies, hit about $300 billion in the first quarter of 2026. The report says roughly 80% of that money is going into AI.

What to watch

Analysts quoted in the report warn that a very large SpaceX offering could soak up a lot of investor money, like a huge concert selling most of the tickets in a small town. If that happens, smaller companies, including some software companies, might find it harder to attract attention and money when they try to go public.

Source: NYTimes