OpenAI's initial public offering has been postponed, with CEO Sam Altman informing employees via Slack that a public offering is expected within the next year. The delay means the IPO, initially planned for 2026, will now likely occur in 2027, which could surprise investors given the timing of Anthropic's upcoming public offering. Altman cited the need to maintain flexibility and avoid potential valuation losses against competitors like Anthropic, which is set to go public soon. The decision comes amid OpenAI's ongoing cash burn and the strong growth trajectory of Anthropic, which has already set a high bar with its Fable and Mythos 5 models.
Altman emphasized that the delay may be influenced by advancements in self-improving AI, which could create unforeseen challenges for a public company. He also noted that the significant capital requirements for compute infrastructure might accelerate the IPO timeline. In addition to the IPO delay, Altman announced an upcoming stock sale for employees at $687.69 per share. OpenAI is also preparing a new model codenamed 5.6, which research lead Jakub Pachocki describes as a major upgrade from GPT-5.5, with a potential June release.
According to the source, OpenAI had already filed a prospectus, which was intended to keep options open for an earlier IPO. However, the shift to 2027 reflects a strategic recalibration amid competitive pressures and financial considerations. The company's approach highlights the balancing act between innovation and market readiness in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Source: thedecoder
