Retail investors chase Anthropic and OpenAI shares as AI IPO frenzy builds

Following SpaceX’s blockbuster June 2026 IPO, which allocated as much as 30% of its shares to retail investors and became the largest US IPO on record, individual investors are aggressively seeking pre-IPO access to the next wave of tech giants: Anthropic and OpenAI. Both AI companies have filed IPO paperwork within weeks of each other, and the scramble for shares is already reshaping how everyday investors interact with private markets. The filings fueling the frenzy Anthropic confidentially filed its S-1 on June 1, 2026, with a target NASDAQ listing by November. Valuation discussions have reportedly circled around $2 trillion, a staggering figure that reflects the company’s explosive growth trajectory. Anthropic’s annual revenue run-rate has exceeded $100 billion, and a recent $65 billion funding round pushed its private valuation to roughly $965 billion. OpenAI followed a week later, filing its own IPO paperwork on June 8. But unlike its rival, OpenAI has pushed its public debut to 2027, leaving investors with a longer wait and more uncertainty about timing and pricing. Platforms specializing in pre-IPO access, like Access IPOs, have reported a 30% increase in their audience, dr...