Databricks CEO: 2026 is a Terrible Year to Go Public Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi has decided to postpone the company’s initial public offering, citing 2026 as a “terrible year” to go public due to the anticipated dominance of mega-IPOs from SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI. These companies are expected to absorb a significant portion of investor capital and market attention, potentially relegating Databricks’ offering to a secondary status. Ghodsi aims for a fairer valuation and emphasizes employee liquidity as the primary driver for eventually listing.

• Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi believes 2026 is a poor year for IPOs due to anticipated large offerings from SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI.
• These companies are expected to collectively raise over $200 billion, potentially consuming a large share of investor capital.
• Databricks, valued at $134 billion, will wait for a quieter market window to avoid being overshadowed.
• Ghodsi wants to avoid the valuation traps seen in 2022 and seeks a fair valuation for future growth.
• The primary motivation for the IPO is to provide liquidity for employees.
• Other potential IPO candidates valued below $500 billion may also be crowded out. Continue reading https://thenextweb.com/news/databricks-ceo-calls-2026-a-terrible-year-to-go-public-as-spacex-anthropic-and-openai-prepare-to-absorb-200-billion-in-ipo-capital