7 in 10 Individual Investors Plan to Buy OpenAI or Anthropic at IPO – And Most Are In It for the Long-Term

Among Americans who invest in the stock market, 70% plan to buy shares in OpenAI, Anthropic, or both at IPO. For most who don't plan to buy, the obstacle is unfamiliarity, not distrust of AI.

By Jack Caporal – Updated Jun 10, 2026 at 5:19 PM EST | Fact-checked by Parker Hicks

Key Points

69% of frequent AI tool users and current stock investors plan to buy OpenAI or Anthropic shares.
Long-term investment intent is strong, with 21% planning to hold shares for over five years.
32% cite unfamiliarity not skepticism as the reason for not buying at IPO, indicating potential growth in investor base.

How often someone uses AI products – and whether they’re already invested in the stock market – predicts almost everything about how they will approach the OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs. According to a Motley Fool survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted June 2, 2026 who regularly uses ChatGPT or Claude, nearly 7 in 10 (69%) said they plan to buy shares in either or both companies at IPO. Roughly the same percentage of individual investors surveyed reported a similar sentiment.

A sign of confidence in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and Anthropic, the developer of Claude, is that many intended IPO buyers surveyed (21%) plan to stay invested through the initial volatility that often surrounds offerings. This translates to those who intend to buy shares plan to hold their shares for five or more years.

Investors should be aware, however, that enthusiasm is concentrated, and whether it broadens before these IPOs price is an important factor. A potentially promising sign is that the Americans who aren't planning to buy are largely not AI skeptics. They simply don't know enough about OpenAI and Anthropic – yet. As both companies raise their profiles through the IPO process, that pool of potential buyers could grow substantially.

Both AI leaders are now officially on a path to public markets. OpenAI confidentially filed IPO paperwork with the SEC on June 8, 2026. Anthropic filed confidentially a week earlier, targeting a fall offering.

The two companies are racing to define an emerging category of public AI companies, but they are not starting from the same position with individual investors. OpenAI's consumer recognition built through ChatGPT gives it a substantial advantage: 71% of Americans are familiar with OpenAI, compared with 45% for Anthropic. That gap shows up directly in purchase intent: 20% of all respondents plan to buy OpenAI shares only, 6% plan to buy Anthropic shares only, and 21% plan to buy both.

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Individual investor demand for these IPOs is driven by people who already know these products and already own stocks, not by a broad wave of first-time buyers.

Whether OpenAI and Anthropic can continue to grow awareness and product adoption leading up to their IPO’s will be a key signal for investors. OpenAI's consumer reach, built through ChatGPT, gives it a head start with individual investors that Anthropic, which has focused on enterprise customers, has not yet matched.

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For investors assessing whether early individual investor demand will hold after a potential day-one run-up, those findings may offer reassurance. How long prospective investors plan to hold shares is another measure of conviction that could calm the nerves of those looking to buy and hold for years to come.

21% of prospective OpenAI and Anthropic IPO buyers plan to hold shares for five or more years, and another 15% plan to hold three to four years. An additional 27% plan to hold one to two years. Current stock market investors who plan to buy show slightly longer holding intentions than first-time buyers, at 39% vs. 31% planning to hold for three or more years.
Only 5% of intended OpenAI and Anthropic investors plan to sell within six months of the IPOs.
Younger generations show higher intent to buy but shorter planned holding periods than older generations. Gen Z has the second-highest purchase intent at 49%, but only 15% plan to hold for five or more years. Baby boomers show lower intent at 30%, but 28% plan to hold five or more years, the highest share of any generation.

Even intended Anthropic and OpenAI investors have concerns worth tracking. Their top worry is that AI stocks could be in a bubble, cited by 21% of prospective buyers, followed by 19% who worry AI valuations are too high relative to what can be drawn from the limited financial information available on the companies. Both have filed confidentially, meaning prospective buyers won't see full audited financials until closer to each offering.

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That lack of information drives concerns over valuation. Investors should watch what both prospectuses – the financial reports companies submit to the SEC prior to an IPO – disclose about revenue trajectory, cash burn, and path to profitability. Those disclosures will shape how individual investors price risk in both offerings.

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Among those not planning to buy Anthropic or OpenAI at IPO, 25% say they would consider purchasing shares of either company within a year of listing. The Americans least likely to buy these IPOs slammed the door shut; they simply want more information or haven’t begun to consider investing in them.

For those watching individual investor demand as a signal of long-term support for these stocks, that distinction suggests the ceiling for investor demand is higher than what the survey data captures.

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About the Author

Jack Caporal is the Research Director for The Motley Fool and Motley Fool Money. Jack leads efforts to identify and analyze trends shaping investing and personal financial decisions across the United States. His research has appeared in thousands of media outlets including Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and CNBC, and has been cited in congressional testimony. He previously covered business and economic trends as a reporter and policy analyst in Washington, D.C. He serves as Chair of the Trade Policy Committee at the World Trade Center in Denver, Colorado. He holds a B.A. degree in International Relations with a concentration in International Economics from Michigan State University.

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The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

7 in 10 Individual Investors Plan to Buy OpenAI or Anthropic at IPO – And Most Are In It for the Long-Term

Among Americans who invest in the stock market, 70% plan to buy shares in OpenAI, Anthropic, or both at IPO. For most who don't plan to buy, the obstacle is unfamiliarity, not distrust of AI.

Key Points

About the Author

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