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OpenAI rules out IPO this year as Altman, Musk & Amodei warn AI is moving too fast

2026-09-12 | original

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Why This Matters

OpenAI shelving what would be one of the largest IPOs ever, explicitly on AI safety grounds, is the first clear case of safety concerns overriding a massive commercial opportunity. That Altman, Amodei and Musk — normally bitter rivals — are publicly aligned on slowing capability gains signals a genuine shift in industry posture, not just PR. For investors and enterprises, it injects new uncertainty into AI timelines and the sector's most anticipated listings.

Key Takeaways

Altman says an OpenAI IPO now would be 'ill-advised,' pushing the listing to 2027 at the earliest despite CFO Sara Friar telling staff last month it could come sooner.
Anthropic's Dario Amodei published an essay proposing a three-step plan to slow advanced model improvement without sacrificing commercial edge or US AI leadership; Altman and Musk both publicly backed it.
Rare alignment among three fierce rivals shows safety concerns moving from the margins to the center of the industry — and colliding with its commercial ambitions, including Anthropic's own expected IPO.

Worth a Look

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Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, during an interview on "The Circuit with Emily Chang" at Anthropic's headquarters in San Francisco, California, US, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman now says his company will not go public this year, citing growing concerns about AI safety.

In an interview with Fortune published Saturday, Altman said that an IPO now would be "ill-advised." The decision pushes one of the most anticipated IPOs in history until at least 2027 and gives the clearest sign yet that mounting concerns about increasingly powerful AI are beginning to reshape the industry's business plans.

OpenAI CFO Sara Friar told employees just last month that the company would likely go public in 2027 or even sooner, if "our business continues to inflect."

Altman's comments came on the same day that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging AI companies to slow how quickly they improve their most advanced models. Altman and Elon Musk quickly backed the proposal in social media posts, an unusual show of agreement among three fierce rivals.

In his essay, Amodei proposed a three-step plan aimed at tempering the pace of development without "sacrificing commercial advantage or the United States' lead in AI." Anthropic is actively gearing up for what is expected to be a historic IPO, though the company has not officially disclosed when it plans to debut.

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