OpenAI IPO Faces Uncertainty Amidst Shifting AI Landscape, Analyst Predicts
OpenAI's anticipated initial public offering (IPO) is facing potential headwinds, with NYU Stern marketing professor and tech analyst Scott Galloway suggesting the company might withdraw its listing plans. Galloway cited eroding competitive advantages and a "toxic shift" in brand perception as contributing factors, according to Fortune.
Galloway, speaking on Prof G Markets, assigned a "nonzero probability" to OpenAI pulling its IPO, despite industry forecasts for a resurgence in IPOs, potentially led by SpaceX and OpenAI. The Wall Street Journal had previously reported on the expected public listing.
Meanwhile, in other tech news, Alphabet is planning a significant increase in capital expenditure (capex), potentially doubling its spending to between $175 billion and $185 billion in 2026, according to Fortune. CEO Sundar Pichai and CFO Anat Ashkenazi revealed the plans during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call. This figure represents a substantial increase from the $91.4 billion spent in 2025 and the $52.5 billion in 2024. These capital expenditures are intended to fund data centers, servers, and power infrastructure to support the ongoing AI race.
IonQ, a publicly traded quantum computing company, is also under scrutiny following a report by short-seller Wolfpack Research, Fortune reported. Wolfpack, which is short IonQ's stock, alleges that the company misled investors about the organic demand for its quantum computing technology. The report claims IonQ did not disclose its dependence on "backdoor earmarks" inserted into the Pentagon budget by friendly lawmakers, which were subsequently canceled after Republicans gained control of Congress in 2025.
In other news, a US district judge has indicated that Donald Trump has not intervened in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit against Elon Musk, Ars Technica reported. The SEC lawsuit, filed in the final days of the Biden administration, seeks $150 million in disgorgement, plus interest, civil penalties, and an injunction blocking Musk from future wrongdoing. The complaint alleges that Musk quietly acquired a 9 percent stake in Twitter without making timely disclosures, allowing him to acquire over 70 million shares at an artificially low price.
Finally, the rise of open-source AI frameworks is impacting the tech landscape, according to Hacker News. The open-source framework OpenClaw, which allows users to run models like Claude and GPT-4 to control their computers, has become a popular application for Mac hardware. Users are reportedly buying Mac Minis specifically to run AI agents that automate workflows, suggesting a shift in how people are utilizing AI technology.
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