# Anthropic, OpenAI now bringing in more money than Starbucks and McDonald’s combined

> Source: <https://nypost.com/2026/07/29/business/anthropic-and-openai-making-more-revenue-than-mcdonalds-starbucks/>
> Published: 2026-07-29 19:16:19+00:00

# Anthropic, OpenAI now bringing in more money than Starbucks and McDonald’s combined

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Artificial intelligence giants [Anthropic](https://nypost.com/2026/07/20/business/anthropics-1-5b-settlement-of-authors-ai-copyright-lawsuit-gets-greenlight/) and OpenAI are now generating more cash than McDonald’s or Starbucks — as the AI boom dwarfs traditional American corporate giants.

Anthropic — maker of Claude AI — is on track to bring in $71 billion in the next year, with OpenAI expected to have $49 billion in annual revenue, [Axios reported](https://www.axios.com/2026/07/28/anthropic-openai-revenue-mcdonalds-starbucks-yum).

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Starbucks is forecast to generate $37.2 billion in the same time period, and McDonald’s is set to sell $29.6 billion worth of Big Macs and fries, according to a study that took data from AI investment research platform [Funda](https://funda.ai/).

The data shows that AI’s two largest brands are expected to generate almost as much revenue as McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Taco Bell and KFC parent company Yum Brands combined.

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The data shows just how colossal the AI spending boom is across corporate America — as companies invest hundreds of billions to modernize their operations and build AI into their workflow.

Anthropic, which was founded only five years ago, has raised more than $100 billion, and was valued at $965 billion in May 2026, according to the [company’s own figures](https://www.anthropic.com/news/series-h).

The company has secured major commercial customers across finance, healthcare, and technology, while growing existing partnerships with cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, Reuters reported.

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OpenAI also recently expanded its ChatGPT Enterprise program, as well as signing agreements with businesses seeking AI-powered productivity software.

Starbucks and McDonald’s both trace their history back decades, and have more than 80,000 worldwide locations combined.

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But that appears to be no match for the astonishing speed at which businesses have adopted generative AI technologies.

*With Post wires.*
