Daijiworld Media Network – San Francisco

San Francisco, Nov 7: OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has dismissed speculation of an imminent initial public offering (IPO), saying the company is focused on strengthening its operations before considering such a move.

“IPO is not on the cards right now,” Friar said at the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference on Wednesday. “We are continuing to get the company into a state of constantly stepping up into the scale we are at, so I don’t want to get wrapped around an IPO axle.”

Her remarks come days after reports suggested that OpenAI was preparing for a potential IPO that could value the artificial intelligence leader at up to $1 trillion, possibly as early as 2026 or 2027.

OpenAI recently underwent a major corporate restructuring in October, converting its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation under a deal with Microsoft that valued the firm at about $500 billion. The move provides the company more operational freedom while keeping oversight under its nonprofit parent, the OpenAI Foundation, which holds a 26% stake and may gain more shares as OpenAI meets performance milestones.

The company has been ramping up infrastructure investments, signing multibillion-dollar partnerships with Google and Amazon, and expanding its data center capacity.

Friar noted that OpenAI is seeking U.S. government support to help secure financing for AI chip production — a key area driving the company’s costs. “This is where we're looking for an ecosystem of banks, private equity, maybe even governmental. Any such guarantee can really drop the cost of financing but also increase the loan-to-value,” she said.

While Friar’s comments suggest no immediate IPO plans, industry observers believe the company’s restructuring and aggressive expansion signal long-term readiness for public markets.