OpenAI Will Not Go Public This Year, Altman Says Safety Comes First

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed in a recent interview with Fortune that the company will not go public before 2026. He said that given the current state of AI safety, an IPO this year is not a wise choice, and OpenAI feels no pressure to do so.

Altman stressed that the company will wait until the business and social environment are ready. He hinted that OpenAI may join other leading AI firms in announcing an agreement to slow down AI development, in response to growing safety risks. He also said OpenAI has considered pausing frontier AI development to allow more time for safety and alignment work.

Earlier reports said OpenAI prefers to delay its IPO to next year, when its valuation could reach $1 trillion. Altman said ideally, the entire AI industry and governments around the world should work together on safety issues.