Katie Wood: Open AI code will become a catalyst for super-profits for OpenAI and Anthropic
Contrary to the widespread belief that publishing open AI models undermines the business of leading labs, ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood sees this as a paradoxical source of growth. In her view, it is open source that will become the main driver of wealth for OpenAI and Anthropic, not the cause of their decline.
Wood's logic radically flips traditional investor thinking. An open model is when a developer publishes all weight parameters, allowing anyone to download, run, and modify it for free. However, as the expert emphasizes, the main threat of such models lies not in competition for users, but in their use by malicious actors for cyberattacks on corporations.
The more powerful open counterparts from Meta, Mistral, or DeepSeek become, the wider the attack surface. This, in turn, creates explosive demand for the most advanced paid AI solutions for protection. Businesses, faced with new threats, will be forced to pay a premium for security, which directly enriches industry leaders.
Cybersecurity as the main beneficiary
Research from the UK AI Safety Institute confirms this dynamic: open models in terms of cyberattack capabilities have already come close to leading developments, with a lag of only four to seven months. In the ARK AI Primetime report, this trend is named the main factor driving growth in AI infrastructure spending over the next decade.
Wood directly states that OpenAI, Anthropic, and, in the future, SpaceXAI will capture the majority of revenue in the AI sector. ARK Invest is already investing in all three organizations. Notably, Anthropic has filed an S-1 for listing with a valuation of nearly $1 trillion, while OpenAI's stock market debut is expected as early as September 2026.
"Paradoxically, open models are becoming the main reason why OpenAI, Anthropic, and, in the future, SpaceXAI will capture the majority of revenue in the AI sector," she stated.
My take: This position highlights a fundamental shift in AI monetization. Instead of directly selling access to models, value is shifting toward security and reliability. In a world where every piece of open code is a potential weapon, protection becomes a luxury good, and those who provide it will dictate prices. Investors should reconsider their valuation models: the future is not about cheap access, but about expensive security.