Sam Altman says OpenAI’s IPO window has been pushed to 2027—but markets aren’t the culprit

OpenAI is still headed for a public listing someday. Just not in 2026, according to Sam Altman.

On Friday, Altman told Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell that going public right now would be “ill-advised” because of the safety questions swirling around AI. He said OpenAI doesn’t feel pressure to rush, and that the company will wait until both the business and the broader moment are ready.

That timing talk landed after a rough week for the industry. Researcher Jacob Coxon, who had also worked at OpenAI, resigned from Anthropic with a blunt warning that AI makers are moving too quickly and irresponsibly. Anthropic chief Dario Amodei then weighed in over the weekend, and Altman used the exchange to point back to safety and alignment as the real issue.

Pressed on whether 2026 is out and 2027 is in, Altman wouldn’t pin it down that neatly. He did say, plainly, “not 2026,” and added that there is still “a lot of stuff to do” before OpenAI is ready, including figuring out how the industry and governments can work together on safety. He also suggested that the biggest names in AI, including Dario Amodei and Demis Hassabis, will probably meet to discuss safety at some point.

The money hanging over this is enormous. Fortune says investors have poured more than $180 billion into OpenAI over the years, and the exit still looks far off. For now, though, Altman is making a different case: the obstacle isn’t the market. It’s the moment.