Sam Altman Says OpenAI Will Go Public When It Makes Sense — Shrugs Off IPO Timing Questions After Anthropic Filing

• Altman said on Monday he “just heard” that Anthropic had confidentially filed its initial public offering prospectus.
• OpenAI will pursue an IPO when it aligns with the company's goals and growth plans, according to Altman.
• Altman expects AI to become a constant assistant that works in the background, while stating that companies adopting AI most aggressively are often expanding their workforces.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company is not focused on the timing of its initial public offering (IPO), downplaying any suggestion of a race to public markets after rival Anthropic filed confidential IPO paperwork with regulators.

Altman said OpenAI’s priority remains building the best AI technology and business rather than rushing toward a listing. 

Altman Downplays IPO Race With Anthropic

Altman said he “just heard” that Anthropic had confidentially filed its IPO prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“I think there is a race to deliver the best technology and build the best business, but going public is a financing event, and I don’t think that’s one that we’re focused on the timing of,” Altman said, as reported by CNBC.

He added that OpenAI will pursue an IPO when it makes sense for the company.

Altman made the comments during an event marking the official groundbreaking of the Stargate data center campus in Saline Township, Michigan, reported CNBC. The approximately $16-billion project is being developed by OpenAI and Oracle, with construction beginning three months ago.

Altman Sees AI Driving Growth, Becoming More Integrated

Altman also addressed concerns about artificial intelligence and its impact on jobs, saying uncertainty around the technology is understandable and that “people are right to be anxious.” But he added that the companies adopting AI most aggressively are often the ones hiring the most workers, while those talking about AI-driven layoffs tend to be adopting the technology less, according to CNBC.

Looking ahead, Altman said AI is likely to evolve beyond simple prompt-and-response interactions. “Very soon, an AI will just be running for you in the background all the time, helping you with your job, looking at all your information, aware of all your context, doing as much as it possibly can to help you out,” he said.

OpenAI Focused On Earth-Based Infrastructure

Altman also dismissed the idea that building data centers in space is a near-term priority for OpenAI. “I hope that humanity expands to the stars someday, and data centers along with it, but we’re going to focus on building on Earth for now,” he said.

OpenAI and Oracle also unveiled a series of community initiatives during Monday's groundbreaking event. According to a company blog post, the Stargate project is expected to generate about $1 billion in tax revenue over the life of the lease, helping fund local schools and public services at the county and state levels.

A confidential IPO filing from the ChatGPT maker is reportedly expected within weeks. 

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