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OpenAI delaying IPO amid AI safety concerns, Sam Altman says

OpenAI founder Sam Altman speaks during the G20 Innovation Ministerial on September 2, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. — OpenAI founder Sam Altman speaks during the G20 Innovation Ministerial on September 2, 2026 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

OpenAI will not go public this year given all the safety work it needs to do, CEO Sam Altman said in a Fortune interview released Saturday.

Why it matters: Altman's comments come as fears over doomsday AI scenarios have ramped up since an Anthropic employee resigned and issued a dire warning about AI's capabilities.

What they're saying: "Right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public," Altman said.

"I would say not 2026, yeah. We got a lot of stuff to do," Altman told Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell.
"Meeting this moment of what is going to be required for safety and alignment, and how the industry and governments can work together, I'm happy to be able to do that as a private company."

The intrigue: The market expected blockbuster IPOs from both OpenAI and Anthropic this year.

Altman's move puts the ball squarely in Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's court — especially given Amodei's warning Saturday that AI development needs to be slowed.

The bottom line: "I think a key principle that we should all agree on is that we cannot take actions that would risk losing control of the future to AI," Altman said.

That means investors may have to wait a while.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information throughout.

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OpenAI delaying IPO amid AI safety concerns, Sam Altman says

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