OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company is not focused on the timing of an initial public offering (IPO).
This stance comes as the artificial intelligence sector faces increasing pressure to transition from private venture-backed entities to publicly traded companies. The decision to delay an IPO could signal a strategy to prioritize long-term research and development over the immediate scrutiny and quarterly reporting requirements of public markets.
Altman spoke during an interview with David Faber at CNBC's studio in New York. The comments followed news that competitor Anthropic confidentially filed an IPO prospectus with the SEC on Monday, June 10, 2026 [1].
"I'm not focused on the timing of going public," Altman said [2].
Altman said that the priority for OpenAI remains the development of the best AI technology and business rather than worrying about an IPO timeline [3]. He said that the company is not focused on who goes public first [4].
While some reports have suggested that OpenAI might be filing to go public soon, Altman's statements to CNBC and other outlets contradict the idea of an imminent listing. The company continues to operate as a private entity while scaling its model capabilities, and enterprise partnerships.
"Our priority remains building the best AI technology and business rather than worrying about an IPO timeline," Altman said [3].
“"I'm not focused on the timing of going public."”
The divergence in strategy between OpenAI and Anthropic highlights two different paths for AI giants. By avoiding a race to the public market, OpenAI is attempting to maintain operational flexibility and avoid the volatility of public stock prices during a period of rapid technological evolution. However, this may create a capital-raising gap if competitors use public markets to secure the massive funding required for next-generation compute clusters.
