OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman ruled out a 2026 initial public offering, pointing instead to 2027 and citing safety concerns tied to a 10% risk of AI causing human extinction. Nasdaq futures are likely to face some pressure from the announcement as traders weigh the read-through for AI-linked tech names, even as Anthropic presses ahead with its own listing plans.
Altman rules out a 2026 listing
OpenAI will not go public this year, Altman said in remarks published Saturday, citing safety concerns that make even a 10% risk of AI causing human extinction unacceptable by the end of the decade. Altman told Fortune that now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, adding that the company does not feel pressure to pursue a listing at present.
Asked whether the 10% extinction-risk estimate was accurate, Altman said he could not verify how such a figure would be calculated, but that the risk was serious enough to treat as intolerable regardless of the precise number. According to Fortune: "we all have a tremendous amount of responsibility", he said, adding that egos or profit incentives cannot get in the way.
A pact to slow AI development
The remarks follow warnings from Anthropic researchers about the pace of AI progress, and come as US lawmakers from both parties have called for tighter AI rules, partly in response to instances of AI agents acting outside their intended bounds. Altman said an industry pact to slow AI development and coordinate on safety may be close, echoing Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who wrote in a Saturday essay that companies must slow the pace at which they improve AI model capabilities. Altman responded that he agreed with the sentiment, saying the need to pace the frontier has been a recurring topic inside OpenAI in recent weeks.
From $1 trillion listing to 2027
OpenAI had spent much of the year weighing an IPO that could have valued the company at close to $1 trillion before pausing the process in June. Asked directly whether 2026 was off the table in favor of 2027, Altman confirmed it was, pointing to the work still required on safety, alignment and coordination between industry and governments.
The delay contrasts with Anthropic, which is proceeding with its own listing despite the safety warnings from its leadership. Marketing is reportedly set to begin as early as mid-October, with the listing expected to complete before the US midterm elections in November, at a valuation some reports place as high as $2.3 trillion.
Source: Investinglive
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