OpenAI rules out 2026 IPO as Sam Altman cites AI safety concerns
Key Points
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company will not go public in 2026 and does not feel pressure to pursue an IPO.
- Altman said OpenAI is prioritising AI safety, alignment and cooperation between AI companies and governments.
- OpenAI has not announced a new IPO date, with Altman declining to confirm whether a listing could happen in 2027.
OpenAI will not go public in 2026, CEO Sam Altman said, citing AI safety and alignment work and the need for cooperation between AI companies and governments.
Altman said OpenAI does not feel pressure to enter the public markets and described the current period as an “ill-advised moment” for an IPO because of safety concerns around AI. He ruled out a listing this year but did not provide a new IPO date.
The discussion comes amid a broader industry debate over AI safety, with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei also calling for slower AI development and independent safety checks.
Why OpenAI is not going public in 2026
Altman said OpenAI has work to do on AI safety and alignment before pursuing a public listing.
He also identified cooperation between governments and the AI industry as a priority and said he was comfortable addressing those issues while OpenAI remained a private company. The decision settles the immediate question around an OpenAI IPO this year. In June, OpenAI was already considering whether to wait until 2027 before pursuing a potential listing. Altman has now definitively ruled out 2026.
Staying private gives OpenAI room to prioritise safety over profit incentives
Altman connected OpenAI’s decision to remain private with the choices the company may need to make around advanced AI.
He said AI companies have a responsibility to prevent profit incentives or individual egos from interfering with efforts to manage serious AI risks. Altman also said OpenAI needs to address AI safety and alignment requirements and determine how AI companies and governments should work together. For now, OpenAI will do that work as a private company.
Altman says serious AI extinction risks would be unacceptable
Altman also addressed estimates that advanced AI could eventually pose an extinction risk to humanity.
Asked about a hypothetical 10% chance of AI causing human extinction, Altman said he did not know how such a precise probability could be calculated. But he said the industry should not accept risks at levels such as 10%, 8% or 6%.
“We need to act such that we are not taking any of those numbers of risk, and I believe we can,” Altman said. The 10% figure was not Altman’s estimate. His position was that risks at those levels should be treated as unacceptable regardless of the precise percentage assigned to them.
OpenAI has not set a new IPO date
Ruling out 2026 does not mean OpenAI has confirmed an IPO for 2027.
When Altman was asked whether the company was moving from a 2026 listing to 2027, he ruled out this year without committing to the next one. OpenAI has not announced when it will go public.