OpenAI CFO Confirms No Immediate Plans for IPO While Seeking Government Support for AI Chip Financing

OpenAI is actively pursuing United States government assistance to help secure financing guarantees for artificial intelligence chips.

During the Wall Street Journal's Tech Live conference on Wednesday, OpenAI's Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar clearly stated that an initial public offering is not among the company's immediate objectives.

"IPO is not on the cards right now," Friar declared. "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."

OpenAI did not provide an immediate response when Reuters requested comment on this matter.

Reuters had reported last week that OpenAI was making preparations for an initial public offering that could potentially value the artificial intelligence company at up to $1 trillion.

According to sources familiar with the situation cited by Reuters, Friar had informed some associates that the company was targeting a 2027 public listing, while some advisers suggested it might happen earlier, possibly around late 2026.

These statements follow shortly after OpenAI completed a significant corporate restructuring in late October, transforming its for-profit division into a public benefit corporation as part of an arrangement with Microsoft that valued the company at approximately $500 billion.

This reorganization provides OpenAI with greater operational flexibility while maintaining control under its nonprofit parent, now renamed the OpenAI Foundation, which maintains a 26% ownership stake and possesses a warrant to receive additional shares if the company achieves certain milestones, positioning OpenAI to pursue new strategic partnerships and capital investments.

OpenAI has significantly increased its investments in data centers, entering into multibillion-dollar agreements with technology giants including Google's parent company Alphabet and Amazon. Friar indicated that the company is requesting US government support to help guarantee financing for AI chips, which face uncertain depreciation rates and make debt financing particularly expensive.

"This is where we're looking for an ecosystem of banks, private equity, maybe even governmental," she explained. "Any such guarantee can really drop the cost of the financing but also increase the loan-to-value."