Sam Altman Confirms OpenAI Will Not Go Public in 2026, Citing AI Risks to Humanity

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Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, has confirmed that OpenAI will not list its shares on a stock exchange in 2026, saying now is not the right time for an initial public offering amid concerns about artificial intelligence safety. In an interview with Fortune magazine, Altman said taking OpenAI public might not be the right decision, and that the company does not feel pressured to rush an IPO. Asked directly whether a 2026 IPO had been ruled out, he replied, not 2026, adding that OpenAI still has much work to do, particularly on safety, on aligning AI with human goals and values, and on coordination between industry and government. Earlier, in June, it was reported that San Francisco-based OpenAI was considering pushing back to next year an IPO that could be valued at as much as 1 trillion dollars. Altman also said that even if the risk of AI leading to the extinction of humanity by the end of this decade were only 10 percent, that would still be an unacceptable level, and he agreed with the view of Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, who has called on the industry to slow the pace of increasing the capabilities of frontier AI models. However, safety concerns have not led Anthropic to slow its own plans to go public. The company expects to begin marketing for an IPO as early as mid-October and could complete its listing before the U.S. midterm elections in November.

Impact on stocks 0

Theme Impact 1

Off-coverage companies 2

OpenAIPrivate▼ Negative
Capitalrelevance

Altman confirmed OpenAI will not IPO in 2026, ruling out a near-term listing.

AnthropicPrivate▲ Positive
Capitalrelevance

Anthropic expects to begin IPO marketing as early as mid-October and could list before the November midterms.

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