Anthropic Explores AI Joint Venture

Anthropic is reportedly exploring a joint venture with private equity firms like Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman to expand the adoption of its AI technology. The partnership would focus on deploying Anthropic's AI tools across companies owned or financed by these investment firms. This mirrors Palantir's model of combining software deployment with consulting services to integrate advanced technologies. Blackstone's interest in the joint venture follows its increasing financial commitment to Anthropic. In February 2026, Blackstone increased its stake in Anthropic to approximately $1 billion, adding $200 million as part of a funding round that valued the company at $350 billion. Blackstone sees AI as a core theme across its investment strategy and the joint venture would extend that into its portfolio companies. Anthropic's move towards private equity partnerships comes as the company navigates scrutiny from the Department of Defense. There were reports of the DoW designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk, leading to lawsuits. Despite this, the Pentagon later clarified that Anthropic's tools could still be used if deemed critical to national security. Anthropic recently raised $30 billion in a Series G funding round, valuing the company at $380 billion. This makes Anthropic the second-most highly valued generative AI startup behind OpenAI. Anthropic's revenue run rate is reportedly over $14 billion, with tenfold annual growth over the past three years.