Owning Anthropic stock is like finding Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. Everyone wants it. Nobody gives up.

As the crowd harasses Charlie, the newsboy shouts, “Run, Charlie! Run straight home and don’t stop until you get there!”

Judging by the secondary market, that is precisely What Anthropic shareholders are doing.

Anthropic has skyrocketed to a $1.2 trillion valuation on secondary markets, but no one wants to sell.

Some cannot even be tempted by this $5.99 million Brooklyn home.

One broker told BI that if he could satisfy everyone trying to buy, “I’d be on the beach right now.”

Since Anthropic has not yet gone public, most investors have no choice but to search for shares on the secondary market, buying them from employees and early backers.

Where the demand is so high, dubious offers inevitably follow.

Anthropic has been explicit: if someone offers you a way to invest indirectly, “assume it’s invalid.”

Still, many investors are willing to take the risk before missing out on what they consider the opportunity of a lifetime.

BI’s Ben Bergman dug deeper into the frenzy, talking to brokers trying to close deals and found a private market that’s starting to look like a modern gold rush.

There’s one more twist: While Anthropic remains the hottest ticket in town, OpenAI is quietly making a comeback ahead of the public launch of its most advanced AI model.