Anthropic's Meteoric Rise: The Real Reason It's Winning, According to Early Investor

Anthropic has hit a staggering $47 billion revenue run rate as of May, up from $9 billion in 2025. That kind of explosive growth is unprecedented, even for Matt Murphy, a Menlo Ventures partner with 25 years of investing experience through the internet boom, mobile surge, and early cloud era. Menlo led Anthropic's $500 million Series D round, and Murphy has watched the company transform from a pre-revenue, pre-launch gamble into one of the most valuable startups in the world.

On a recent episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Murphy sat down with host Julie Bort to explain what really sets Anthropic apart. His key insight? It's not the model itself that's driving success - it's the company's relentless focus on safety, trust, and enterprise adoption. Murphy says that while competitors chase raw performance metrics, Anthropic built a product that customers actually feel comfortable deploying at scale. That strategic bet, he argues, is what's fueling the fastest growth he's ever seen.

For those wanting to hear more, the full conversation is available on Equity, which you can subscribe to on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. You can also follow Equity on X and Threads at @EquityPod.

Source: TechCrunch