OpenAI will not go public in 2026, CEO Sam Altman stated in an interview with Fortune. He believes it is an “ill-advised moment” for an IPO due to AI safety concerns.
When asked if the IPO might be postponed by a year, he replied:
“I would say not 2026. Yes, we have a lot of work to do, such as meeting safety and consistency requirements and understanding how the industry and governments can collaborate.”
According to Altman, OpenAI does not feel pressured to list and will revisit the idea when both the business and public context are ready.
He also mentioned that OpenAI has discussed potential pauses in model development at new capability levels to allow more time to work on safety. Altman suggested that leading AI companies might agree on joint steps to slow development and reduce risks.
Altman linked the possibility of such decisions to the company’s corporate structure, which is divided between nonprofit and commercial parts. He emphasized that this model allows for steps that may not always benefit business and shareholders but align with the mission.
In June, OpenAI confidentially filed an S-1 form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a potential IPO. The New York Times reported a possible postponement of the listing to 2027. According to the publication and Reuters, the company’s potential valuation could reach $1 trillion.
Earlier, a U.S. Senate subcommittee initiated an investigation into OpenAI’s actions following a July incident with Hugging Face.
