Sam Altman says OpenAI will not go public in 2026, telling Fortune that taking the company to market now would be a mistake given the pace of safety developments. The OpenAI CEO made the comments during a 45 minute interview, and The Verge reported on them in an article published Sep 12, 2026, at 9:16 PM UTC.
Altman was direct about the timing. "We're not rushing into an IPO," he said. He went further, tying the decision to safety rather than market conditions: "I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, this would be, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public." He added, "And we don't feel pressure on that."
The 2026 date had been the subject of speculation, and Altman closed the door on it while leaving the longer horizon open. "We've said for a long time, we'll do it when we're ready… I would say not 2026," he said. His reason for patience was plain: "We've got a lot of stuff to do."
Safety, Recursive Self-Improvement and a Line He Won't Cross
The IPO remarks came alongside a broader discussion of AI risk. Altman talked about recursive self-improvement and about the possibility of building an AI beyond human control. Asked about that prospect, he said it was "absolutely" possible.
He vowed to take actions to prevent an AI beyond human control, including pausing training if necessary. He also drew a boundary around what he considers acceptable. "There are risks we should not be able to incur on behalf of humanity," he said.
The interview also touched on the Hugging Face hacking incident, the AI company and community platform that has been in the news recently. Altman discussed the incident as part of the wider conversation about safety and control.
Stay ahead of the AI curve
The most important updates, news, and content — delivered weekly.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Who Reported It
The Verge's article was written by Terrence O'Brien, the site's Weekend Editor. O'Brien has covered the tech industry for over 18 years, and the piece carries a note that he "knows a thing or two about synths." The article is tagged with the topics AI, News and OpenAI.
What the Comments Signal
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company led by Altman, and speculation about a public offering has followed it for some time. His comments in the Fortune interview amount to a confirmation that no OpenAI IPO will happen in 2026, with the safety question presented as the reason for the delay rather than a lack of readiness.
The same interview produced his most striking safety statement. Altman said it was "absolutely" possible to build an AI beyond human control, and he committed to acting to prevent it, up to and including pausing training. He framed the stakes in terms of what should not be risked collectively. "There are risks we should not be able to incur on behalf of humanity," he said.
For now, the company stays private. Altman's message on going public was that OpenAI will do it "when we're ready," and that 2026 is not that year. His message on safety was that the harder problem comes first. "We've got a lot of stuff to do," he said.