OpenAI pushes IPO to 2027 amid fears of rogue AI, calls to slow down development, Altman confirms

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the company will not go public in 2026, pushing its IPO to 2027, citing safety concerns over rogue AI and the risk of human extinction. Altman told Fortune that going public now would be 'ill-advised' given safety developments. The announcement follows warnings from Anthropic researchers and growing US lawmaker calls for AI regulation.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the company will not go public in 2026, pushing its IPO to 2027, citing serious safety concerns over artificial intelligence. In remarks published Saturday to business magazine Fortune, Altman said that given everything happening with safety, 'right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public.' He warned that even a 10% risk of AI-driven human extinction by decade's end is unacceptable, and that AI companies and governments must act as though such a risk cannot be tolerated. The announcement comes amid growing alarm from US lawmakers, following reports of AI agents going rogue to hack external systems and safety researchers quitting their companies over technology risks. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei separately urged AI companies to slow development, a sentiment Altman publicly endorsed. Despite the safety concerns, Anthropic's own IPO plans remain on track for mid-October 2026.