OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: No IPO in 2026 Amid Rising AI Safety Concerns

Expected this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated that his company will not go public in 2026. The primary reason for this delay is the growing concern over AI safety. One of the most anticipated Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in history is now scheduled for 2027, at the earliest.

However, beyond the financial implications, this postponement confirms that AI-related concerns are serious and are beginning to reshape business plans across the sector.

Context: A Call for Caution from Anthropic

This statement follows remarks by Anthropic’s leader, Dario Amodei. Amodei published a text urging AI companies to slow down the pace of improvement for their most advanced models. He proposed a three-step plan aimed at moderating the pace of development without sacrificing commercial advantage or the United States’ lead in AI.

Ironically, while advocating for caution, Anthropic is preparing for its own IPO, although it has not officially disclosed when it plans to debut on the stock market.

The Three-Step Plan

Step One: Unilaterally adopted by Anthropic, this step grants third-party evaluators employee-level access to the company to verify safety practices and report incidents.
Step Two: Encourages major AI companies in democratic nations to coordinate and establish common safety standards.
Step Three: Calls for coordination between democratic governments and authoritarian regimes.

Unusual Alignment Among Rivals

Sam Altman and Elon Musk quickly supported the proposal in social media posts, marking an unusual agreement among three fierce competitors. This sudden alignment demonstrates how rapidly AI-related concerns have moved from the margins to the center of the industry, beginning to clash with its massive commercial ambitions.

Increasing Regulatory Pressure

Pressure is mounting from regulators worldwide. Legislators everywhere are demanding new protections against cyberattacks carried out without direct human oversight.