Why OpenAI’s Sam Altman says an IPO isn’t in the cards this year

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has said the artificial-intelligence company is not planning an initial public offering this year, according to MarketWatch. The comments indicate that a public-market listing is not part of OpenAI’s near-term plans.

An IPO is the process through which a privately held company begins selling shares on public stock exchanges. For OpenAI, any eventual listing would be closely watched because the company is one of the most prominent developers of generative AI systems.

OpenAI is best known for products including ChatGPT and for its work on large language models. The company’s decisions around financing, governance and corporate structure have drawn broad attention as AI becomes increasingly important to technology companies, policymakers and investors.

Altman’s remarks do not rule out an IPO at a later date. They do, however, set expectations that OpenAI will remain private for the rest of the year rather than pursuing a public offering in the near term.