The White House has pumped the brakes on one of the world’s most valuable AI companies, creating a direct conflict between national security and the commercial ambitions of a firm targeting a $900 billion valuation.
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White House Halts Anthropic Plan to Expand Mythos AI to 70 Firms
The White House has opposed Anthropic’s plan to expand access to its advanced Mythos AI model for about 70 additional companies, according to reports, a move that challenges the AI industry’s rapid commercialization by citing significant national security concerns.
"The considerations are at an early stage and no offers have been accepted," Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, highlighting the sensitivity of the discussions between the government and the AI unicorn.
The decision holds the number of companies with access to the specialized cybersecurity model at its current level of approximately 50, thwarting a plan to bring the total to 120. The move comes as Anthropic is reportedly weighing a new funding round of up to $50 billion at a valuation that could exceed $900 billion, fueled by an annual revenue run rate that crossed $30 billion in March.
The opposition creates a major hurdle for Anthropic’s growth trajectory and its potential October 2026 IPO, pitting the government’s security apparatus against a key player in the AI sector backed by Amazon and Google. This action signals a new phase of heightened government scrutiny that could lead to stricter regulations for the entire AI industry.
Mythos Compute Demands Clash With Security Fears
The core of the conflict centers on Mythos, an advanced AI model from Anthropic designed for complex cybersecurity tasks. While the model’s capabilities have attracted intense interest from enterprise customers, they have also triggered government concerns about its potential misuse in cyberattacks. The White House’s opposition is partly based on the assessment that Anthropic currently lacks sufficient computing power to serve more users without degrading the government’s own access and security, according to a report from The Next Web.
This places Anthropic in a difficult position. The company needs a massive capital infusion, potentially the $50 billion round under consideration, to acquire the necessary compute infrastructure to run Mythos at the scale demanded by both commercial and government clients. Anthropic has already secured major compute commitments from partners, including up to $25 billion from Amazon and up to $40 billion from Google, but the complexity of Mythos requires even more resources.
Valuation and IPO Plans Under Pressure
The government's pushback could not come at a more critical time for Anthropic. The company's valuation has soared from $61.5 billion in March 2025 to a reported target of over $900 billion for its next round, a trajectory that has outpaced even its primary competitor, OpenAI. This valuation is predicated on an unprecedented revenue growth story, with annualized revenue hitting $30 billion just months after reaching $9 billion.
A halt to the commercial expansion of its most advanced model could give investors pause and complicate the narrative for its planned IPO. The potential $50 billion pre-IPO round, which would be one of the largest in history, is now shadowed by regulatory uncertainty. The outcome of this standoff will be a critical test for Anthropic and may serve as a bellwether for how the U.S. government intends to balance fostering AI innovation with managing its inherent national security risks.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
[1] White House opposes Anthropic's expansion of access to Mythos model[2] Anthropic is considering a funding round that would value it at over $900 billion[3] Dow Jones Top Company Headlines at 3 AM ET: Meta Reports Big Revenue Jump and Projected Spending Increase | White ...[4] Dow Jones Top Company Headlines at 11 PM ET: SoftBank Plots IPO for New Robotics Venture | White ...[5] OpenAI wants to put its most powerful model at all levels of government to fight hackers
