OpenAI will not go public in 2026, says Sam Altman amid AI safety concerns

OpenAI, a leading technology company, has decided not to go public in 2026, according to CEO Sam Altman. Altman cited safety concerns over rapidly advancing AI systems, stating that an IPO at this point would be ill-advised. This decision comes amid growing fears of AI systems potentially causing human extinction, with two researchers from Anthropic recently quitting their jobs due to these concerns.

Altman emphasized the serious nature of the risk and the responsibility of AI companies and governments to act accordingly, regardless of the estimated probability of such an outcome. Despite the setback for OpenAI's IPO plans, the company's CFO indicated that a stock market listing could still occur in 2027 or sooner, contingent on the company's performance.

Anthropic, another major player in the AI sector, has not altered its IPO plans due to these safety concerns, with its own listing expected to begin in October at the earliest and conclude before the US midterm elections in November 2026. In response to these developments, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for a voluntary slowdown in the pace of AI model development, suggesting a three-step plan to ensure AI systems are built and used responsibly.

Both Amodei and OpenAI CEO Altman agreed on the importance of implementing independent evaluators to assess AI systems and confirm their alignment with safety standards.