Larry Bird's legendary rivalry with Magic Johnson is being invoked in the context of a looming showdown in the public markets. On 2026, the stage is set for OpenAI and Anthropic to go public, pitting their employees, backers, and egos against each other.
What's at stake?
The rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic is likened to the 1984 NBA Finals, where Larry Bird and Magic Johnson faced off. This time, the stakes are global tech supremacy.
How did we get here?
Blue Origin employees are feeling the pressure as they watch their SpaceX rivals' net worths skyrocket. This is due to Blue Origin's old stock options plan, which essentially left employees holding lottery tickets.
What comes next?
OpenAI and Anthropic's share prices will be constantly compared, with any significant price divergence being cheered or groaned by their respective employees and investors. This is unprecedented, with potentially two companies with market caps close to or above $1 trillion entering the public market within months of each other.
The closest recent example is Uber and Lyft's dueling IPOs in 2019, which dropped within two months of each other. However, those ride-sharing companies aren't in the same league as OpenAI and Anthropic.
Both companies could end up fine, just like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who played for the famous "Dream Team" in the 1992 Olympics and are considered all-time greats in their own right. But when it comes to the markets, investors have a habit of picking sides.
And the market caps of Uber and Lyft are a testament to this, with Uber having a market cap of $147 billion and Lyft having a market cap of $5.4 billion. So, the question on everyone's mind is, which company will come out on top in this public markets showdown?
But for now, the wait is on to see how OpenAI and Anthropic will perform in the public markets. The stage is set, and the rivalry is heating up. As the days go by, the tension will only build, and the world will be watching to see which company will emerge victorious.
The CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic couldn't even agree to hold hands for a photo op, and now they're going to battle it out in the public market. At least Larry Bird and Magic Johnson eventually did a commercial together, showing that even the fiercest of rivals can put their differences aside.
As the public markets showdown approaches, one thing is certain - only one company can come out on top. And with the stakes being so high, the rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic is sure to be one for the books.
So, the question remains, which company will be the one to beat in this public markets showdown? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, it's going to be a wild ride.