OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) research and development company, has filed confidentially for an initial public offering (IPO), a process through which a private company offers shares to the public for the first time. However, CEO Sam Altman has stated that the company will not go public this year. During an interview with Fortune editor in chief Alyson Shontell, Altman discussed the company’s IPO plans in the context of recent challenges, including the OpenAI-HuggingFace data breach and ongoing debates about the safety and regulation of AI technologies. Altman emphasized that OpenAI is not rushing into an IPO. He said, “We’re not rushing into an IPO,” and added that “given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public.” He explained that the company will go public “when we’re ready,” which he defined as when both the business and the broader societal context are prepared for the responsibilities that come with public ownership of an AI company. When asked if the IPO would occur in 2026, Altman responded, “I would say not 2026, yeah. We’ve got a lot of stuff to do.” This statement suggests that OpenAI may push back its IPO timeline. Earlier in June, The New York Times reported that OpenAI had begun preparing for an IPO, aiming to go public in the third or fourth quarter of 2026. However, the company was considering a later date, possibly 2027, due to the unpredictable nature of the tech stock market and its own financial hurdles. Altman’s comments reflect a cautious approach to going public, balancing the company’s ambitions with the complex and evolving landscape of AI development and regulation. OpenAI’s decision to delay its IPO underscores the challenges faced by tech companies navigating both financial and societal expectations in the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence.