Sam Altman has ruled out an OpenAI IPO for 2026, even though the company has already filed confidentially to go public. Speaking with Fortune editor in chief Alyson Shontell, Altman got a question about whether IPO plans still push OpenAI to move quickly, a question that came amid fallout from the OpenAI-HuggingFace hack and wider debate over AI safety.
“We’re not rushing into an IPO,” Altman said. “I actually think that given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public.” He added that OpenAI will list “when we’re ready, which is when the business is ready, when we feel ready from what the moment is like in society with this technology.” Pressed directly on timing, he said: “I would say not 2026, yeah. We’ve got a lot of stuff to do.”
In June, The New York Times reported that OpenAI had brought on bankers and lawyers aiming at a listing in the second half of 2026, while already leaning toward 2027, citing choppy tech stocks and the company’s own financial pressures. Altman’s comments confirm that slip without committing to a new date.
TechCrunch’s Anthony Ha reported this on September 12, 2026.
