Michael Burry Slams OpenAI, Anthropic AI Slowdown Calls as ‘Self-Serving:’ ‘IPOs Need Hype & Puffery’

Namrata Sen

Tue, September 15, 2026 at 7:30 PM GMT+3 8 min read

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Michael Burry has criticized executives from OpenAI and Anthropic for their calls to slow down AI development, labeling their stance as self-serving.

On Monday, Burry took to X and said their calls to slow down benefit incumbent companies and fuel hype for upcoming IPOs.

"IPOs need hype & puffery; "we are so awesome it could become dangerous" is hype & puffery," he wrote.

Let's all take a moment to understand how self-serving it is for OpenAI, Anthropic and other execs of big hyperscalers to talk of slowing things down.
1. LLMs are not AI and won't be AGI. There is nothing AI to slow down.
2. Competition is coming up fast, slowing benefits…

— Cassandra Unchained (@michaeljburry) September 14, 2026

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Burry argued that their models, referred to as LLMs, are not true AI and won't become AGI (Artificial General Intelligence); hence, there is nothing to slow down. He also suggested that these calls for a slowdown are a cover for a real, uncontrollable slowing of growth, as IPOs look to be pushed out.

OpenAI Delays IPO, Anthropic Pushes Ahead

OpenAI has ruled out an IPO in 2026, with CEO Sam Altman saying the timing would be "ill-advised." The company cited ongoing AI safety and alignment challenges as key reasons for delaying a public listing.

At the same time, Anthropic has reportedly chosen Nasdaq for its planned October IPO and expects to post positive adjusted operating income for a second consecutive quarter. The Claude maker is also forecasting gross margins above 80% before accounting for distribution costs and AI model training expenses.

Amid the debate around the pace of AI development, Former White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks argued that if OpenAI and Anthropic truly believe their next models are too risky to release, they should slow down themselves without needing lawmakers or regulators to "pace the frontier."

The China Factor in AI Slowdown Efforts

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei expressed concerns over China's role in the global AI landscape and the challenges of implementing a global AI speed limit. Amodei called China the "toughest dilemma" in his push to slow the pace of AI development globally and warned that the military and strategic advantages of moving ahead in AI create powerful incentives for countries to accelerate development.

Amodei acknowledged that a global AI "speed limit" would be difficult, and he was uncertain whether it was achievable, but argued that countries should still try to coordinate efforts to slow AI progress.

However, Dan Ives, Partner and Senior Managing Director, Tech Analyst at Yorkville Ives, argued that China is unlikely to slow down despite these calls for self-regulation. "The pace of innovation will be a focus of the tech industry/Beltway…with Sovereign AI key," he said.

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

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