OpenAI's Altman won't do IPO this year, calls AI extinction risk 'unacceptable'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated the company will not go public in 2026, citing significant safety concerns over artificial intelligence, including an "unacceptable" risk of human extinction. He emphasized the collective responsibility of AI companies and governments to mitigate these risks, regardless of precise quantification, and confirmed the IPO is off the table for the current year.
Why it matters
This decision by a leading AI company highlights the growing ethical and safety debates surrounding advanced AI development, potentially influencing regulatory efforts and the pace of commercialization across the industry. It also impacts financial markets by delaying a highly anticipated IPO.
OpenAI will not go public in 2026, Chief Executive Sam Altman said in remarks published on Saturday (September 12, 2026), citing safety concerns over artificial intelligence that render "unacceptable" even a 10% risk that AI could cause human extinction by decade's end.
The comments come as more U.S. lawmakers urge new rules to govern AI systems after dire warnings from two researchers from OpenAI rival Anthropic that rapidly progressing AI could lead to the extinction of the human race in the not-too-distant future.
"I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, and we don't feel pressure on that," Mr. Altman told business magazine Fortune .
Also covering this story
4 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman says it would be ‘ill-advised’ to go public in 2026
Sam Altman says OpenAI won't go public this year
OpenAI IPO won't happen this year, says Sam Altman
Sam Altman says OpenAI going public in 2026 would be ‘ill-advised’
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