OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX line up blockbuster IPO exits as 29 AI unicorns emerge in May
OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX are preparing public-market exits amid a surge of AI startup valuations that brought 29 companies to unicorn status in May 2026, including robotics and AI services firms. The IPO pipeline underscores accelerating investor appetite for frontier models and enterprise AI infrastructure.
For CTOs and CIOs tracking the AI landscape, these exits signal both strong venture exit optionality and potential shifts in where cutting-edge R&D will be funded post-IPO. Perplexity has already signaled a 2028 IPO target, cementing the next 18–24 months as a critical inflection point for the AI stack.