OpenAI will not list its shares in 2026, chief executive Sam Altman said, arguing that a stock-market debut would be poorly timed while the industry confronts mounting questions about safety, security, alignment, and how governments should work with leading labs.
The remarks, made in an interview with Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell and released on Saturday, end months of speculation that the ChatGPT maker might still try to go public before year-end.
OpenAI confidentially filed IPO paperwork in June, a step that usually preserves the option of a relatively fast listing.
Bankers and investors had treated a late-2026 offering as plausible, especially after rival Anthropic also prepared for a potential debut and after SpaceX’s own listing earlier in the year reset expectations for mega-cap technology offerings.Altman rejected that timetable.
He said the company is not rushing to Wall Street and does not feel pressure to list now.
Asked whether 2026 was off the table, he answered that it was not the year, adding that OpenAI has substantial work left on safety and alignment and on how industry and governments should cooperate.
Remaining private, he suggested, gives the company ...