OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated in September that the company will not pursue an IPO in 2026, calling it ill-advised amid urgent work on AI safety and alignment for its frontier large language models. This followed confidential SEC filings earlier in the year and reflects a deliberate shift to prioritize credible safety claims before facing public-market pressures. The company is instead raising at least $30 billion privately at roughly a $1.4 trillion valuation after its March round at $852 billion, supported by annualized revenue approaching $70 billion. Rival Anthropic’s planned November listing and broader AI infrastructure demands could serve as near-term catalysts, though OpenAI’s strong private-capital access reduces immediate pressure for a public debut.