OpenAI Rules Out 2026 IPO, Altman Cites AI Safety Concerns

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has confirmed the company will not pursue an initial public offering in 2026, citing the need to prioritize safety and alignment work amid growing concerns about the risks of advanced artificial intelligence. In an interview with Fortune published on September 12, Altman described the current environment as an "ill-advised moment" for a public listing. "I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, and we don't feel pressure on that," Altman said. He added that OpenAI has "a lot of stuff to do" regarding safety, alignment, and cooperation between the industry and governments before considering an IPO. The announcement comes as Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and xAI co-founder Elon Musk have all recently called for slowing the pace of AI development due to escalating risks. This rare public agreement among leaders of three major AI companies follows warnings from researchers about potential existential threats. Altman stated he agreed with Amodei's position that companies must pace the frontier of AI development.