Anthropic walks away from a planned $6B acquisition of Decart AI, Bloomberg reports
- Deal value
- $6.0B
- Place in VP50
- #1
- Sources
- 2
- Claims verified
- 5 of 6
What happened
Bloomberg reported on 8 September 2026, citing people familiar with the matter, that Anthropic had decided against acquiring Decart AI, an artificial intelligence startup. Bloomberg's headline put the deal at $6 billion. Benzinga, relaying the report on Yahoo Finance, said the purchase would have been Anthropic's largest acquisition to date. The reports rested on unnamed sources, and Benzinga's article included no statement from either company.
Benzinga said the potential acquisition was first announced in August, when the deal was in early stages and plans were subject to change. It did not state why Anthropic decided against the purchase. According to Benzinga, sources said the two companies could still collaborate on future projects. Benzinga described Decart as a San Francisco company, co-founded in 2023, that works on real-time generative video and interactive world models. It said Decart raised $300 million in a Series B round in May, and cited a Wall Street Journal report that the round pushed the company's valuation to nearly $4 billion, up from $3.1 billion in August 2025. No terms for any alternative arrangement were reported.
Key points
- Bloomberg reported on 8 September 2026 that Anthropic decided against acquiring Decart AI, citing people familiar.12
- The deal discussed was $6B, which Benzinga said would have been Anthropic's largest acquisition to date.12
- The potential deal was first announced in August while in early stages; no reason for the decision was given.2
- Decart raised a $300M Series B in May; the Wall Street Journal put its valuation at nearly $4B, per Benzinga.2
Why it matters
The reports said a $6B sale to Anthropic, which would have been an exit for Decart's backers, was dropped. The latest financing named in the coverage was the $300M Series B in May.
The reported $6B deal size sits beside the nearly $4B valuation the Wall Street Journal reported after the Series B, per Benzinga. The sources did not explain how the two figures relate.
Neither source gave a reason for the decision. Benzinga said, citing sources, that the two companies could still collaborate on future projects; no terms for any such arrangement were reported.
In context
| Round | Date | Post-money valuation | Raised | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series E | Mar 3, 2025 | $62B | $3.5B | Lightspeed Venture Partners |
| Series F | Sep 2, 2025 | $183B | $13B | Fidelity Management & Research Company, ICONIQ, and Lightspeed Venture Partners |
| Series G | Feb 12, 2026 | $380B | $30B | Coatue, D. E. Shaw Ventures, Dragoneer, Founders Fund, GIC, ICONIQ, and MGX |
| Series H | May 28, 2026 | $965B | $65B | Altimeter Capital, Capital Group, Coatue, D1 Capital Partners, Dragoneer, GIC, Greenoaks, ICONIQ, Sequoia Capital, and XN |
Updated
Fact-check
- Bloomberg reported on 8 September 2026 that Anthropic decided against acquiring Decart AI, citing people familiar with the matter.[2] Benzinga via Yahoo Finance, dated 8 September 2026, relays the Bloomberg report and its sourcing; [1] Bloomberg's page was blocked for the checker, but its dated headline is in the event record.Verified
- The deal discussed was $6 billion and would have been Anthropic's largest acquisition to date.[2] Benzinga states both; [1] Bloomberg's headline gives the $6 billion figure.Verified
- The potential acquisition was first announced in August and was in early stages.Stated by [2] Benzinga, which gives no year for the August report.Verified
- No reason for the decision was stated, and the companies could still collaborate on future projects.[2] Benzinga gives no reason and cites sources for the possible future collaboration.Verified
- Decart is a San Francisco company co-founded in 2023.Stated by [2] Benzinga.Verified
- Decart raised $300 million in a Series B in May, which the Wall Street Journal said pushed its valuation to nearly $4 billion, up from $3.1 billion in August 2025.Stated by [2] Benzinga, which quotes the Wall Street Journal for the valuation; the Wall Street Journal report itself was not read, and Benzinga gives no year for the May round.Partly verified
Sources
- [1]Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)Anthropic Said to Walk Away From $6 Billion Decart Purchase
- [2]Benzinga via Yahoo Finance (citing Bloomberg) (opens in a new tab)Anthropic Walks Away From Decart as $6 Billion AI Deal Unravelswould have been Anthropic's largest acquisition to date
