Altman rules out OpenAI IPO for 2026, cites safety concerns

What happened: Sam Altman told Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell, in an interview on 11 September, that OpenAI will not go public in 2026.

The numbers: OpenAI confidentially filed for an IPO in June. CFO Sarah Friar told staff in August the company would be public in 2027.

In their words: "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. Asked if that pointed to 2027, he replied: "I would say not 2026."

Why it matters: Fortune called this the first on-the-record confirmation from Altman himself. OpenAI has never disclosed a target listing date before now.

The context: Altman said there is "a lot of stuff to do" on safety and alignment, and on how industry and governments can work together. He said OpenAI has discussed pausing development at new capability thresholds to let safety work catch up, and suggested leading labs could be close to an agreement to slow development in step with one another.

The catch: Altman said OpenAI wants to preserve its ability to make decisions that might not align with short-term investor interests, a tension that going public could sharpen.

The rivals: A day before Altman's remarks, Anthropic's Dario Amodei called on the industry to "pace the frontier". Altman said he agreed. Anthropic itself is still expected to pursue an IPO, with marketing reportedly possible as early as mid-October.

What's next: No new timeline has been set. Friar's internal 2027 estimate stands as the most recent figure on record, per Reuters via Investing.com.