{"id":731555,"date":"2026-06-05T11:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/databricks-ceo-2026-is-a-terrible-year-to-go-public\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:00:39","slug":"databricks-ceo-2026-is-a-terrible-year-to-go-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/databricks-ceo-2026-is-a-terrible-year-to-go-public\/","title":{"rendered":"Databricks CEO: 2026 is &#8220;a terrible year to go public&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29060aa269a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29060aa269a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/databricks-ceo-2026-is-a-terrible-year-to-go-public\/#TLDR\" >TL;DR<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/databricks-ceo-2026-is-a-terrible-year-to-go-public\/#The_logic_of_stepping_aside\" >The logic of stepping aside<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/databricks-ceo-2026-is-a-terrible-year-to-go-public\/#No_urgency_to_raise\" >No urgency to raise<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/databricks-ceo-2026-is-a-terrible-year-to-go-public\/#The_crowded_runway\" >The crowded runway<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p><em><\/p>\n<div class=\"postContent-tldr\">\n<h4 class=\"postContent-offsetTitle\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TLDR\"><\/span>TL;DR<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi said 2026 is \u201ca terrible year to go public\u201d as SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI prepare to absorb over $200 billion in IPO capital. The $134 billion data company will wait for a quieter window.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Three companies are preparing to enter public markets this year with a combined valuation that could exceed $3 trillion.\u00a0SpaceX is set to list as early as 12 June\u00a0at a $1.77 trillion valuation, selling 555.6 million shares at a fixed price of $135 each in what will be the largest IPO in history.\u00a0Anthropic has filed at a $965 billion valuation.\u00a0OpenAI is preparing its own filing\u00a0targeting up to $1 trillion.<\/p>\n<p>Databricks, valued at $134 billion and widely expected to be among this year\u2019s IPO candidates, has decided to sit it out. \u201c<em>We will be a public company<\/em>,\u201d CEO Ali Ghodsi\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-06-04\/databricks-ceo-plans-to-avoid-ipo-during-year-of-huge-offerings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">told Bloomberg Television<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday. \u201c<em>I just think this is a terrible year to go public.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_logic_of_stepping_aside\"><\/span>The logic of stepping aside<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ghodsi\u2019s reasoning is straightforward. When SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are collectively seeking to raise upwards of $200 billion from public investors, every other tech IPO risks being treated as a side show. Institutional allocation budgets are finite, and the three mega-offerings will consume a disproportionate share of them.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a valuation concern. Ghodsi has previously said he wants to avoid the trap that caught many tech companies in 2022, when newly public firms were forced to prioritise margins after their share prices collapsed. \u201c<em>If I wanted to have a crazy, crazy valuation, we would have gone public in the last 12 months,<\/em>\u201d he\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/12\/17\/databricks-ceo-ali-ghodsi-on-where-ai-is-most-bubbly-and-how-the-company-settled-on-its-134-billion-valuation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">told Fortune<\/a>\u00a0in December. \u201c<em>We just want to have a fair valuation that we can continue growing into.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper latest channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media.thenextweb.com\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.thenextweb.com\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\">\n<p class=\"channel-cta-title\">The \ud83d\udc9c of EU tech<\/p>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol&#8217; founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It&#8217;s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"No_urgency_to_raise\"><\/span>No urgency to raise<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Databricks can afford to wait. The company\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.databricks.com\/company\/newsroom\/press-releases\/databricks-surpasses-4-8b-revenue-run-rate-growing-55-year-over-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">raised over $4 billion<\/a>\u00a0in its <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Series<\/a> L in December 2025 at the $134 billion valuation, then added\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-01-23\/software-maker-databricks-inks-1-8-billion-financing-package\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">$1.8 billion in debt financing<\/a>\u00a0from JPMorgan and private credit lenders in January 2026. It has crossed a $4.8 billion revenue run rate, growing more than 55% year on year, and is generating positive free cash flow.<\/p>\n<p>The stated motivation for eventually listing is employee liquidity. \u201c<em>We want to create a market transaction mechanism for our employees<\/em>,\u201d Ghodsi said. That is a practical concern for a company whose stock options and RSUs have been priced against a series of private-market valuations that have no public-market equivalent.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_crowded_runway\"><\/span>The crowded runway<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ghodsi\u2019s decision highlights a second-order consequence of the AI IPO boom. The three mega-offerings are not just absorbing investor capital. They are\u00a0absorbing the infrastructure of going public itself: the banks, the analysts, the roadshow schedules, the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> attention. A $134 billion data platform listing in the same quarter as a $1.77 trillion rocket company is a footnote, regardless of how strong its fundamentals are.<\/p>\n<p>Other potential IPO candidates face the same calculus. Any company valued below $500 billion risks being crowded out of the conversation entirely. The irony is that 2026 may be remembered as both the best and worst year for tech IPOs: the best for the handful of companies large enough to command attention, and the worst for everyone else.<\/p>\n<p>Databricks competes with public companies such as Oracle and\u00a0Snowflake\u00a0in the data and AI infrastructure market. By waiting, Ghodsi is betting that a quieter window, perhaps in 2027, will let Databricks command a premium rather than being priced as a warm-up act. Given that the company has $6 billion in recently raised capital and no immediate need for more, the patience costs nothing except the liquidity its employees are waiting for.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"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\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi said 2026 is \u201ca terrible year to go public\u201d as SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI prepare to absorb over $200 billion in IPO capital. The $134 billion data company will wait for a quieter window. Three companies are preparing to enter public markets this year with a combined valuation that could&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":731556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.thenextweb.com\/2026\/06\/Databricks-CEO-Ali-Ghodsi.avif","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-731555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}