OpenAI barrels towards IPO that may happen in September
Source: TechCrunch
Posted: 10:24 AM PDT · May 20, 2026
Image Credits: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg / Getty Images
OpenAI’s IPO Plans
A day after Elon Musk lost his lawsuit that threatened OpenAI’s structure, leadership, and finances, the AI giant is ready to move forward with its initial public offering, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman reportedly hopes that his company will be ready to go public by September. The ChatGPT maker has been working with tech‑IPO powerhouse bankers Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and may file IPO paperwork confidentially with regulators within days or weeks, per the WSJ.
Competitive Landscape
The news of OpenAI’s potential IPO, which by all accounts should be a blockbuster, comes as the world awaits the public disclosure of SpaceX’s IPO filings, expected to appear as soon as Wednesday, according to reports. Rocket‑maker SpaceX is now one of OpenAI’s major competitors after it acquired Elon Musk’s model maker, xAI.
Musk vs. Altman: The Next Battle
Now that Musk failed to skewer OpenAI, the competitor he co‑founded, through the heart with a lawsuit, the next Musk vs. Altman battle looks set to take place in the world of finance. Which one will be the bigger IPO?
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.