The Sting

 

The Sting

Wonderful film, witty, funny and above all else, one bought into the vibe of the 30's with complete satisfaction.
Now, it's 2026 and another hustle is underway with Anthropic's IPO where insiders get to bail out when shares are the most valuable, similar to how insiders did the very same thing with Space X.

The con ...

Anthropic's IPO could be the greatest fleecing of retail investors in stock market history

When private companies go public, they usually establish a 180-day lockup period for insiders, consisting of high-ranking executives, board members, and early investors. This lockup period prevents insiders from taking advantage of retail investor euphoria shortly after a company debuts.

The SpaceX IPO flouted convention. Elon Musk's company adopted a staggered and accelerated share-unlock schedule that enabled early-release-eligible insiders to sell some of their shares two days after an earnings release, and on calendar days 70, 90, 105, 120, 135, and 180 after the IPO.

Anthropic's share-unlock schedule for insiders is similar to SpaceX's, but on steroids! The company's prospectus outlines 23 (yes, twenty-three!) separate earnings- and time-based lockup events for company insiders. Notably, this includes a share-unlock event on "the first trading day following the date of this prospectus." In other words, at least some insider shares will be eligible for sale the day Anthropic debuts.

All this with a company posting a net loss of 64 billion in 2025.
Welcome to America, the land of the brave and the home of the free.