Michael Burry questions OpenAI, Anthropic slow-AI calls ahead of IPO

Michael Burry's challenge comes against a backdrop of public caution from some of the industry's most prominent leaders. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for a slower pace in advancing frontier AI systems, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis have supported measured development, while Elon Musk has backed Amodei's position. Burry's argument reframes those calls not as pure safety advocacy but as potentially protective of incumbents.

A second thread is the timing of public listings. OpenAI and Anthropic have filed initial IPO paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, although OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said the company does not plan to go public this year. Burry suggested heightened warnings about potential risks could help maintain investor enthusiasm as companies approach public listings, tying the safety debate to capital markets.

Burry also questioned whether current large language models represent artificial general intelligence, saying that distinction weakens the case for restricting AI progress. The upshot hinges on whether investors and regulators treat slowdown arguments as credible caution or, as Burry suggests, as self-interested positioning as listings near.