Anthropic and OpenAI have each been on intense acquisition sprees throughout 2026, targeting developer tools, AI services, and startups to boost their AI capabilities and enterprise growth. Among these moves, a weekend rumor that Anthropic was acquiring the well-known robotics startup Physical Intelligence caused a stir on AI-focused social media. Despite a denial from Physical Intelligence’s CEO Karol Hausman — shared humorously via a Slack message — the rumor drew attention due to Physical Intelligence’s high profile. Co-founded by Lachy Groom, the startup has raised over $1 billion and has been working on influential robot brain models widely used in research.

The rumor wasn’t without some basis, as The Information reported that Anthropic and Physical Intelligence had indeed engaged in acquisition discussions this spring. The deal ultimately did not materialize, but the talks highlight Anthropic's interest in embedding physical-world robotics expertise into its AI strategy. Anthropic has primarily focused on software and AI research so far, unlike OpenAI which has invested in in-house robotics labs since 2024, pursuing physical robots alongside AI models. Physical Intelligence’s capabilities could potentially accelerate Anthropic’s efforts to build robotics-related technology, bypassing years of internal experimentation.

The situation is complicated by the fact that OpenAI itself is an investor in Physical Intelligence, along with some of the same venture capital firms backing OpenAI, such as Founders Fund. This connection raises questions about whether OpenAI may have certain protective rights or first-look privileges if Physical Intelligence were to be sold to a competitor like Anthropic. The overlapping investments and strategic interests illustrate the intense competition and high stakes as both AI leaders prepare for major public market debuts, with Anthropic having confidentially filed for an IPO on June 1 and OpenAI filing a week later.

The broader rationale behind these acquisition interests ties to the importance of physical intelligence and robotics in advancing AI toward superintelligence. AI models trained solely on text data might miss key aspects of how intelligent systems learn and interact with the real world. Both Anthropic and OpenAI recognize that embedding AI brains within robots capable of physical reasoning is critical for long-term ambitions, making robotics startups like Physical Intelligence highly coveted assets in the AI race.