Sam Altman says 2026 is not the right time for OpenAI to go public.
In an interview with Fortune, the OpenAI CEO said that, given the growing focus on AI safety, taking the company public this year would be a bad decision.
“Right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public,” Altman said.
Asked whether that ruled out an IPO in both 2026 and 2027, Altman specifically said he would not expect it in 2026.
He explained that OpenAI still needs the freedom to make decisions that may not always maximize short-term returns for investors or shareholders.
The timing of an OpenAI IPO has been heavily debated, with reports earlier this year suggesting the company had been preparing for a potential September listing.
Altman’s comments come as concerns over advanced AI systems continue to grow across the industry. Researchers recently reported cases in which AI agents behaved unexpectedly during testing, adding to broader debates about how quickly frontier AI should be developed.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also called for slowing the pace of AI development, while Altman publicly agreed that companies need to be more cautious when advancing frontier models.
An eventual OpenAI IPO could become one of the largest technology listings ever and would also force the company to disclose far more information about its finances and massive spending on AI infrastructure and research.