Weekend rumors about Anthropic acquiring robotics startup Physical Intelligence weren't entirely fabricated. The AI safety lab and the $1 billion robotics company held acquisition talks this spring, according to The Information.

The speculation began when tech blogger Robert Scoble posted on X about a potential deal. Physical Intelligence CEO Karol Hausman denied the reports to employees via Slack, using a gif from "The Office" showing a character shaking her head no.

Physical Intelligence has raised more than $1 billion and was reportedly seeking another $1 billion round at an $11 billion valuation this spring. The San Francisco company was co-founded by Lachy Groom and former Google researchers, with its π0.5 model widely used in robotics research.

Why robotics matters for AI labs

Both Anthropic and OpenAI appear convinced that physical-world understanding is essential for superintelligent systems. OpenAI built an early robotic hand that solved Rubik's Cubes, then shut down its robotics group in 2021 before quietly rebuilding it in 2024.

CEO Sam Altman made OpenAI's robotics push official in May, announcing the lab was hiring for infrastructure robots with personal assistants as the long-term goal.

Anthropic has taken a different approach, publishing research on robotics capabilities through its safety testing. Project Fetch in November tested how well Claude could help non-experts program robot dogs. A June follow-up found newer models completed the same tasks 20 times faster than the best human-Claude teams from the previous year.

The complication

OpenAI is actually an investor in Physical Intelligence, creating a potential conflict. The company's investor base includes Khosla Ventures, Thrive Capital, and reportedly Founders Fund — all major OpenAI backers.

This raises questions about whether OpenAI negotiated information rights or first refusal provisions that could complicate any Anthropic acquisition. Both AI labs have been aggressive acquirers this year, with Anthropic making four known deals and OpenAI at least 17 since 2023.

Both companies have confidentially filed for IPOs, with Anthropic submitting on June 1 and OpenAI a week later.