OpenAI ruled out an initial public offering for 2026 on Saturday, pointing to unresolved safety concerns around rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and the need to address alignment challenges facing the industry.
Why OpenAI Is Delaying Its IPO
“Right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, and we don’t feel pressure on that,” CEO Sam Altman told Fortune.
When Fortune asked whether 2027 was more realistic than 2026, he said, “I would say not 2026. We have a lot of work to do, including meeting the safety and alignment requirements of this moment and figuring out how the industry and governments can work together.”
The delay follows a June New York Times report that OpenAI was weighing a potentially trillion-dollar listing, a decision complicated by volatility in Elon Musk’s SpaceX shares at the time.
