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Sep 16, 20268 views2 min read

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says Going Public in 2026 Would Be Ill-Advised

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed in a September 12 interview that the company will not pursue an IPO in 2026. Altman cited AI safety concerns and the need for governance flexibility, saying the company must focus on "meeting this moment" before going public. He suggested 2027 is a more plausible timeframe.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says Going Public in 2026 Would Be Ill-Advised
Source:TechCrunch

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed in an interview with Fortune published September 12, 2026, that the company will not go public this year.

"I would say not 2026," Altman said, calling an IPO at this stage "ill-advised." The company had previously filed confidentially for a public listing and explored a valuation that could have reached approximately $1 trillion.

Altman cited AI safety and alignment as the primary reasons for the delay. He said OpenAI must focus on "meeting this moment of what is required for safety and alignment" before taking on the obligations that come with public shareholders.

He also pointed to OpenAI's unique governance structure, which balances non-profit and for-profit interests. Going public, he said, would limit the company's ability to make decisions that do not align with immediate business interests.

Altman suggested that OpenAI and other leading AI laboratories may be nearing an agreement to "pace the frontier" and collectively address safety risks. This could include pausing training runs for new models to ensure adequate safeguards are in place before further capabilities are released.

The announcement came during a period of heightened scrutiny over AI development. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and other industry leaders have called for a slower pace in advancing frontier models, citing concerns about autonomous agent capabilities and cybersecurity risks.

The delay is expected to affect the San Francisco tech ecosystem, which had been watching the potential IPO for its implications on local wealth, real estate, and startup formation. Analysts view 2027 as the most likely window for a public offering.

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