Proofpoint agrees to acquire Varonis for about $6.3 billion
Varonis shareholders are to receive $49.75 a share in cash, a 52% premium to the stock's June 22 closing price, the companies said.
Levine urges Anthropic to put US IPO on hold over AI risks
Anthropic is reportedly targeting a $2 trillion valuation, while New York City's pension funds have $7 million in exposure to the company.
Anthropic should resolve concerns about AI safety, governance and its development pace before pursuing a US initial public offering, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said in an October 15 letter addressed to CEO Dario Amodei.
Levine called on the company to prioritize those risks rather than move ahead with the offering. His office said private equity investments give the city's public pension funds a combined exposure of $7 million to Anthropic.
The AI company is reportedly aiming for a listing valuation of $2 trillion. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Anthropic's research has identified risks associated with AI models that operate with increasing autonomy. Controlled tests showed potentially harmful capabilities, including sabotaging code, enabling fraud and manipulating information.
Separately, a media report citing sources said Anthropic informed prospective investors during a pre-IPO meeting that third-quarter revenue increased 45% from the preceding quarter. OpenAI, its closest competitor and the company behind ChatGPT, is expected to list in 2027.
The comptroller is responsible for managing New York City's pension funds, whose assets exceed $325 billion. The role also includes oversight of city finances, public spending and financial practices.