AI, Productivity, and IPOs: The New Competition Between OpenAI and Anthropic
From the economic sustainability of AI models and their ability to attract talent to the next major tech listings, Edoardo Narduzzi, CEO of Mashfrog Group, discussed the new industrial and financial phase of artificial intelligence on Class CNBC.
Artificial intelligence is entering a new stage of its evolution. After the race to enhance model capabilities and computing power, the attention of companies and investors is increasingly shifting toward more tangible factors: efficiency, usage costs, return on investment, and industrial sustainability.
This is the scenario outlined by Edoardo Narduzzi, CEO of Mashfrog Group, during an appearance on Class CNBC in the days surrounding the launch of a new generation of frontier models, starting with GPT-5.6.
From Model Performance to Token Costs
For businesses, evaluating an AI solution can no longer be limited to the quality of the answers it generates. As intelligent agents become more widely integrated into manufacturing, logistics, and administrative processes, understanding the cost of deploying these technologies at scale is becoming essential.
“The main concern for the business world is understanding what token consumption will cost once AI-based agents are deployed on a large scale,” Narduzzi explained, “as these agents will be capable of redesigning manufacturing, logistics, and other types of processes within companies.”
However, reducing costs is only one part of the equation. “Technological disruption must move forward on two fronts: on the one hand, it must increase productivity; on the other, it must make it possible to deliver the same output at a lower cost. Otherwise, the conditions needed to justify the investment simply do not exist.”
Return on Investment Becomes Critical
According to Narduzzi, the ability to clearly demonstrate return on investment is now one of the most significant differences between OpenAI and Anthropic.
“In some situations, within Anthropic’s ecosystem, return on investment is easier to demonstrate. In the world of ChatGPT and OpenAI, it is somewhat less immediate,” the Mashfrog Group CEO observed. This difference is also reflected in how the two companies communicate. According to Narduzzi, OpenAI appears more focused on reassuring the market about the continued evolution of its models, while Anthropic can rely on technology that, in certain business contexts, already seems to be closer to meeting customer expectations.
Anthropic Is More Ready for Wall Street
The comparison between the two companies extends beyond their products. As the prospect of public listings becomes increasingly prominent in financial discussions, investors are closely examining the strength of their industrial models, revenue growth, and ability to sustain exceptionally high levels of investment over time.
In this respect, Narduzzi sees Anthropic as the company currently better prepared to face the public markets. “Anthropic is more mature from an industrial standpoint,” he said. “Its upcoming financial results could further strengthen investor interest and consolidate the company’s position within the frontier AI ecosystem.”
OpenAI retains the advantage of having been one of the first companies to bring generative artificial intelligence to the attention of the general public. Today, however, it may find itself playing catch-up with some of its competitors.
Toward the First Trillion-Dollar Software IPO
The potential listings of OpenAI and Anthropic could mark a historic turning point for the technology industry. In recent years, markets have witnessed the rise of companies with valuations exceeding one trillion dollars. The next leap could involve a company built entirely around artificial intelligence. “I believe Anthropic will go public before the end of the year and could become the world’s first trillion-dollar IPO for a software company.”
As Narduzzi himself clarified, this is a personal assessment, but one based on the company’s perceived ability to continue growing over the coming quarters and provide investors with industrial metrics that are easier to interpret.
From Technological Promise to Industrial Sustainability
Edoardo Narduzzi’s remarks on Class CNBC reinforce the vision guiding Mashfrog Group on its path toward Agentic AI as a Service: helping organizations move beyond the simple adoption of a new tool and instead build intelligent systems that can be integrated into business processes, increase productivity, and make innovation sustainable.
It is on these fronts - applicability, measurability, and industrial return - that competition among the leading players in artificial intelligence will be decided. More importantly, these factors will determine whether AI can evolve from a technological promise into a tangible infrastructure for the economy.