OpenAI Rules Out 2026 IPO as Altman Prioritizes AI Safety

OpenAI will not pursue an initial public offering in 2026, CEO Sam Altman confirmed in an interview with Fortune published Friday. The decision reflects what Altman described as fundamental safety and coordination challenges that must be resolved before the company takes on the pressures of public markets.

Speaking with Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters, Altman said the company faces no pressure to rush a listing and that the current moment in artificial intelligence development makes going public premature. When pressed on whether 2027 would be the target year instead, he declined to commit to a specific date.

Why it matters

OpenAI's decision to delay its IPO signals that leading AI companies are beginning to prioritize safety timelines over financial milestones—a shift that could reshape how the industry balances commercial pressure with existential risk. For investors and competitors watching OpenAI's trajectory, the delay suggests the company views its governance structure and safety protocols as incomplete, even as it continues to dominate commercial AI deployment.

Safety Work Takes Precedence Over Market Timing

Altman told Fortune that OpenAI has "a great deal of safety and alignment work still to do," along with determining how the industry and governments can coordinate on AI development. He emphasized that remaining private gives the company freedom to meet the specific demands of this period in AI development without the quarterly pressures that come with public ownership.

OpenAI had filed confidentially for an IPO earlier this year. The New York Times reported in June that the company was considering pushing its listing to 2027, but Altman's comments now definitively rule out any 2026 timeline.

Altman Acknowledges Risk of Losing Control

The Fortune interview extended beyond IPO timing. Altman acknowledged that building an AI system beyond human control is "genuinely possible" and said he would take concrete steps to prevent that outcome, including pausing training if necessary.

He stated that no company should be able to take certain risks on behalf of humanity, adding that a core industry principle should be that "no one can take actions that risk surrendering control of the future to AI systems."

Altman also indicated that OpenAI may be close to announcing an agreement with other leading AI companies to slow development and address safety risks collectively.

Industry-Wide Momentum for Slower Development

Altman's position aligns with recent calls from competitors. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay Saturday urging AI companies to slow the pace at which they improve model capabilities, according to Reuters. Altman responded on X, saying he agreed with Amodei and that pacing frontier development has become a primary topic of internal discussion at OpenAI in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Anthropic itself is on a different trajectory. Reuters reported this month that Anthropic is expected to begin marketing its public offering in mid-October at the earliest, ahead of November's U.S. midterm elections.

The details were first reported by Fortune, with additional reporting from TechCrunch and Reuters.