# Sam Altman says OpenAI going public in 2026 would be ‘ill-advised’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/sam-altman-says-openai-going-public-in-2026-would-be-ill-advised/
- Published: 2026-09-13T03:37:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-13T09:42:38+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/994384/sam-altman-no-openai-ipo-ill-advised
- Topics: AI, Business, Companies, Cybersecurity, Technology

## Key points

- Altman rules out an OpenAI IPO happening in 2026
- Cites safety concerns as reason to delay going public
- Says AI beyond human control is "absolutely" possible

## Summary

Sam Altman has ruled out an OpenAI initial public offering in 2026, telling Fortune it would be "ill-advised" given the current focus on safety issues. Speaking in a 45-minute interview, the OpenAI chief executive said the company feels no pressure to float and will only do so "when we're ready", a notably cautious stance from a firm otherwise known for rapid growth and expansion.

Altman also touched on wider safety concerns during the conversation, including the recent Hugging Face hacking incident and the risk that recursive self-improvement could produce AI systems beyond human control. He said this outcome was "absolutely" possible but pledged to intervene if necessary, including pausing training, stating that "there are risks we should not be able to incur on behalf of humanity."

## Coverage

- [The Verge: Sam Altman says OpenAI going public in 2026 would be ‘ill-advised’](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/994384/sam-altman-no-openai-ipo-ill-advised)
- [The Guardian: OpenAI IPO will not happen in 2026 amid AI safety fears, Sam Altman says](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/12/openai-delays-ipo-sam-altman-ai-safety-concerns)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.