OpenAI will not go public in 2026, CEO Sam Altman said. He claimed that the company has too much work ahead on artificial intelligence safety and alignment to pursue one of the technology industry's most anticipated initial public offerings this year.
Altman confirmed the timing in an exclusive interview with Fortune, calling the current environment an "ill-advised moment" for an IPO and saying OpenAI did not feel pressure to enter the public markets. Asked whether a 2026 listing was off the table, he replied: "I would say not 2026. Yeah, we got a lot of stuff to do."