Altman: "Zero Interest" in Public CEO Role, OpenAI IPO Inevitable for Growth

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has "zero interest" in leading a public company, despite acknowledging an eventual IPO is likely.
• He views an IPO as a practical necessity for funding OpenAI's rapid expansion, capital needs, and staying competitive in the AI race.
• Altman expressed conflicted feelings, seeing value in public investment but disliking the operational pressures of being public.
• OpenAI's growth, fueled by ChatGPT, requires significant capital, making a private status increasingly difficult to maintain.
• Early IPO preparations are underway, with potential filings by H2 2026 and a listing in 2027, valuing the company between $830B-$1T.

Why It Matters: Sam Altman dislikes public CEO role but sees OpenAI IPO as unavoidable for massive growth and AI competition.