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Anthropic The Valuation Paradox: The More Valuable the Company, the Larger Its Book Loss

Dongcha Beating AI Flash reports that Anthropic is about to pursue IPO, yet its financial report shows an unusual phenomenon. The draft prospectus shows that 2026 first-half revenue surged from 1100000000 USD in the same period last year to 16300000000 USD, while its net loss instead widened from 13000000000 USD to 80700000000 USD. The primary cause of the huge loss was precisely the increase in the company's valuation. 80700000000 USD Of the net loss, 72000000000 USD resulted from the accounting revaluation of financing instruments such as convertible notes.Anthropic had previously raised financing through such instruments, under which investors could convert debt into shares subject to agreed conditions. As the company's valuation rose, the conversion rights attached to these debts also became more valuable. For investors, this represented asset appreciation; for Anthropic however, the increase in the fair value of the related financing liabilities had to be recognized as a loss in the income statement. The more popular the company became in the capital markets, the larger its book loss could become.

This 72000000000 USD did not correspond to an equal cash outflow in the current period, but it was not without economic cost. The appreciation of the conversion rights meant that the equity value available to investors increased, and future conversion could also dilute existing shareholders' equity.

A similar situation occurred last year:Anthropic full-year net loss was 42000000000 USD, of which approximately 34000000000 USD came from accounting adjustments to financing instruments.

The cost that is genuinely continuing to increase is computing capacity.Anthropic invested nearly 9000000000 USD in computing capacity and infrastructure in the first half, compared with only 2300000000 USD in the same period last year. The draft prospectus also lists more than 600000000000 USD in future contracts related to cloud services and chips, some of which contain irrevocable commitments. Including agreements still under negotiation, the potential total could reach 750000000000 USD. These funds will be disbursed over multiple future years according to contractual arrangements, rather than—as with changes in the fair value of financing instruments—being recognized only as current-period book gains or losses.

Original link https://m.theblockbeats.info/flash/373182