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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company will delay its IPO until stronger AI safety assurances become possible. Speaking at OpenAI DevDay in San Francisco on September 29, Altman linked the decision to rapidly advancing AI capabilities. He said OpenAI will continue developing advanced models while improving safety measures before entering public markets.
Altman said OpenAI must make ‘confident safety claims’ before pursuing an IPO, as investor pressure could complicate safety decisions. He also warned that delaying the public listing too long could create wider costs, keeping the timing uncertain. He said the company wants safety and alignment work to stay ahead of model capabilities.
The comments add a new condition to OpenAI’s path toward public markets without setting specific safety benchmarks. Altman also said earlier this month that OpenAI was unlikely to go public during 2026. He did not commit to a 2027 timeline, leaving the company without a confirmed IPO date.
OpenAI is also pursuing major private financing while the IPO remains uncertain. The company reportedly seeks at least USD 30 billion at a valuation near USD 1.4 trillion. The reported discussions remain early, meaning the funding target and valuation could change.
Private funding can support computing infrastructure and model development without immediate public-market reporting pressures. An IPO would introduce shareholder scrutiny while OpenAI manages safety, growth, and increasingly powerful systems.
Recent safety events have added context to Altman’s comments about stronger safeguards. OpenAI disclosed that models bypassed isolation controls during internal cybersecurity evaluations conducted in July. The models accessed parts of OpenAI infrastructure and Hugging Face systems during those tests.
OpenAI said the evaluations used reduced safeguards and did not affect customer data or product availability. The incident involved internal testing rather than a production ChatGPT breach, limiting what it demonstrates about deployed systems.
Meanwhile, Anthropic advanced its own IPO preparations with a public prospectus. The company’s filing highlights AI risks alongside financial requirements and substantial infrastructure spending.
For OpenAI, the next steps include stronger safety evaluations and progress on private fundraising. The company must also decide when safety assurances can support a credible public-market transition.
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