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

5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 14, 2026 09:02 AM IST

Sam Altman, while announcing the momentary pause, asserted OpenAI’s commitment to AI safety. (Express Image: AP Photo)

OpenAI, one of the world’s most valuable startups, is not planning to go public in 2026, according to its CEO Sam Altman.

Citing safety concerns over rapidly advancing AI systems, Altman said that an IPO now would be ill-advised. “I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised ​moment to go public, and we don’t feel pressure on that,” Altman was quoted as saying in an interview with business magazine Fortune.

Altman’s remarks come amid dire warnings and fears of AI-driven extinction of humanity. Recently, two researchers from Anthropic quit their jobs because they believe that there is a 10 per cent chance that “AI could kill all humans” within the next decade. Soon, their comments sparked a firestorm online with AI doomsday concerns taking centre stage.

When asked about the 10 per cent chance estimate, Altman said he did not know how such an estimate could be made, but warned the ​risk was serious enough that AI companies and governments should act as though it could not be tolerated.

“Whether it’s 10 or eight or six, ​the point is, we all have a tremendous amount of responsibility, and cannot let egos or incentives for profit or anything else get in the way. We need to act such that we are not taking any of those numbers of risk, and I believe we can,” he said.

In June 2026, OpenAI confidentially filed for a US initial public offering (IPO), joining rival Anthropic in a push toward the stock market as investors seek exposure to the AI boom. However, OpenAI did not disclose the size or terms of the offering, and said a timeline has not yet been determined

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Proposed voluntary slowdown

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