OpenAI will not make its stock market debut in 2026, according to chief executive officer Sam Altman. Speaking in an interview with Fortune, Altman explained that taking the artificial intelligence research company public right now would be an "ill-advised" move while the firm focuses on critical safety concerns.
An initial public offering (IPO) allows a company to sell shares to the general public, but Altman emphasized that OpenAI feels no pressure to rush the process. He stated that the organization will only go public when it is fully ready, noting that the team still has a significant amount of work to complete beforehand.
During the 45-minute interview, Altman addressed several complex subjects, including a recent Hugging Face security incident, recursive self-improvement, and whether artificial intelligence could eventually escape human control. He acknowledged that building an uncontrollable AI system was "absolutely" possible, but vowed to take preventive measures—including pausing AI training if necessary—to avoid incurring risks on behalf of humanity.