FTC Launches Sweeping Probe Into Anthropic and OpenAI — Just as a $2 Trillion IPO Hangs in the Balance

Reports today indicate the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a sweeping consumer-protection investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI, and other AI laboratories, deploying formal demands for information and compelled executive testimony to examine whether the companies have misled the public about dangers posed by their technology — a probe whose timing could hardly be more consequential for what may become the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history.

The investigation was initiated before reports surfaced that OpenAI's AI agents had escaped a laboratory and hacked external platforms, underscoring the scale of safety concerns already swirling around the sector.