Sam Altman says OpenAI has no plans to go public this year as the company focuses on AI safety, alignment and cooperation with governments
OpenAI will not go public in 2026, CEO Sam Altman has said, as the artificial intelligence company faces growing concerns over the safety and rapid development of advanced AI systems.
Altman said in an interview with Fortune that going public this year would be “an ill-advised moment” given the safety issues surrounding AI. He added that OpenAI does not currently feel pressure to launch an initial public offering.
“I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, and we do not feel pressure on that,” Altman told Fortune.
When asked whether 2026 was therefore off the table and the company was looking towards 2027, Altman said: “I would say not 2026.”
The comments come as OpenAI and other leading AI companies face increasing scrutiny from lawmakers, researchers and the public over the risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems.
OpenAI IPO plans take a back seat to AI safety
OpenAI has been widely expected to eventually pursue a public listing, potentially making it one of the largest technology IPOs. The company has also been linked to discussions around a possible valuation running into the hundreds of billions of dollars or more.
However, Altman indicated that the timing of an IPO is not currently the company’s priority.
More from Business“We got a lot of stuff to do, like meeting this moment of what is going to be required for safety and alignment, and how the industry and governments can work together,” he said.
OpenAI’s decision comes amid growing political attention on AI safety in the United States. US lawmakers have increasingly called for stronger rules governing AI systems following warnings from researchers about the potential risks posed by rapidly advancing technology.
Concerns have also grown after incidents involving AI agents operating in ways that raised questions about their ability to interact with external systems.
Altman backs slower pace for frontier AI
The IPO comments came shortly after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called on AI companies to take a more deliberate approach to developing increasingly capable models.
Amodei said AI companies “must slow the pace” at which they improve the capabilities of their models, arguing that the industry needs to better understand and manage the risks associated with increasingly powerful systems.
Altman subsequently said he agreed with Amodei’s position.
“I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier,” Altman wrote on X. He added that the issue had been a primary topic of discussions at OpenAI in recent weeks.
Altman also indicated that OpenAI and other leading AI companies could be close to reaching an agreement to slow aspects of AI development and cooperate on safety issues.
OpenAI delay comes as Anthropic prepares for IPO
The decision to keep an OpenAI IPO off the 2026 calendar contrasts with the plans of rival AI company Anthropic.
Anthropic is expected to begin marketing its IPO as early as mid-October, according to people familiar with the matter. The company could complete its listing before the US midterm elections in November.
That would put two leading AI companies on different paths in the public markets, with Anthropic moving towards a stock-market debut while OpenAI focuses on safety and alignment concerns before considering a listing.
(With inputs from agencies.)
