OpenAI files for IPO, eyes debut within next year; report

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has indicated that the company expects to go public "within the next year," though he maintains flexibility in that timeline.

As The Information reported on Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told staff in a message earlier this week that he expected the AI startup to ‌go public "within the next year."

The ChatGPT founder said on Monday it had confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering (IPO) recently, joining rival Anthropic in a push toward a stock market listing as it looks to tap into insatiable investor demand for AI shares.

However, it did not disclose the size or terms of the offering and said a timeline has not yet been determined.

Altman expressed, "It may be a while because there are things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company."

According to The Information report, Altman said that "many things could cause it to be sooner or later in that range, but filing now gives us optionality if we want to go sooner."

"The faster the potential RSI takeoff looks like it could be, the more it could be advantageous to delay an IPO."

The OpenAI CEO also said ‌in his message that if advances in the company's technology enabled its AI to create new AI on its own, known as recursive self-improvement, it could weaken the push for a quick IPO.

Industry analysts remain divided, with some projecting a debut as early as late 2026, while others suggest that 2027 is a more realistic timeframe given the scale of OpenAI's infrastructure and computing commitments.