The wealth-creating effect of AI appears: OpenAI and Anthropic employees may be able to buy nearly one-third of the real estate in San Francisco after the IPO. The latest analysis report released by the real estate brokerage Redfin shows that as the two AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic prepare to go public, their employees can theoretically buy them with the wealth brought by the IPO.

The wealth creation effect of AI appears: OpenAI and Anthropic employees may be able to buy nearly one-third of the real estate in San Francisco after the IPO. The latest analysis report released by real estate brokerage Redfin shows that as the two AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic prepare to go public, their employees can theoretically buy nearly one-third of the housing in the San Francisco metropolitan area with the wealth brought by the IPO. Redfin's analysis points out that current and former employees of OpenAI and Anthropic combined could buy about 29% of the housing in the San Francisco metropolitan area through the wealth created by the two companies' upcoming IPOs. That’s not just what’s on the market, but 29% of all housing in the metro area. Among them, OpenAI employees are the main buyers. Redfin estimates that OpenAI employees hold about US$135 billion in equity after tax, which can buy about 20% of the housing in the San Francisco metropolitan area. If you turn your attention to San Jose or Oakland, the proportion reaches 15% respectively. According to public information, OpenAI has granted approximately US$80 billion in vested equity to employees and has an additional US$50 billion stock grant pool. Employee shareholdings account for approximately 26% of the company's total equity. Anthropic employees are equally talented. Redfin estimates its after-tax equity at about $63 billion, which can buy about 9% of the housing in the San Francisco metropolitan area or about 7% of the housing in the Oakland area. Although these calculations are extreme assumptions and not the actual flow of wealth, they clearly reveal the scale of money that is about to flood the market. In fact, before the IPO was officially completed, the wealth effect brought by AI had already begun to stir up the San Francisco real estate market. Data shows that in the first half of 2026 alone, 144 housing units in the city were sold at a price of at least US$1 million higher than the listing price, 17 times that of the same period last year. Some sellers have even begun to directly accept unlisted stocks of OpenAI or Anthropic as payment methods in order to obtain greater value-added space. Related articles: AI boom cannot save commercial real estate, San Francisco office vacancy rate hits record high via cnBeta.COM - Chinese Industry Information Station (author: Source: Global Market Report)