OpenAI proposes giving US government 5% stake worth $42.6 billion amid regulatory pressure

OpenAI floats giving US 5% stake to win over AI haters

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly in active talks with the Trump administration about the US potentially acquiring a 5 percent stake in the leading AI firm. Insider sources told the Financial Times that these talks are in "early stages," but Altman "has argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company is the best way to share the upside of AI." Donald Trump favors the idea, and his administration has reportedly been talking to several AI firms about the possibility. According to FT's sources, other companies approached to share similar stakes include Google and Meta. None of the firms are commenting on FT's report, though, and Google and Meta have not indicated that they agree with Altman that a 5 percent stake would be an appropriate size to cede to the public. Perhaps notably, Meta has not even voluntarily agreed to share frontier AI models with officials for safety testing, The New York Times reported last week. But AI firms may be willing to give a little if they expect it will help them gain a lot. Currently, AI firms like OpenAI are combating what Axios billed as an "AI hate wave." Recent polls find that 70 percent of Americans don't want AI data centers built in their area and half of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI. In June, Pew Research Center noted that although chatbots and AI summaries are becoming more popular, "views about AI and how fast it's advancing tilt negative -- even for younger adults." Both parties are aware this could impact upcoming elections -- and possibly even elections well into the future. Earlier this week, NBC News reported that voters across party lines want tighter AI regulations. Trump and AI firms have claimed that overregulation could threaten America's lead in the AI race with China. To combat anti-AI sentiment and try to encourage the American public to embrace AI, OpenAI has suggested that the US create a sovereign wealth fund similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund. That fund invests Alaska's oil wealth "into stocks and pays dividends to the state government and residents," FT reported. In the spring, OpenAI first proposed creating an AI wealth fund that "provides every citizen -- including those not invested in financial markets -- with a stake in AI-driven economic growth," FT reported. For society to benefit as much as possible, an OpenAI blog said, an "AI-led future" will likely require "new approaches that give people durable stakes in the systems creating value." So far, OpenAI has talked with Trump officials such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), sources told FT. Sanders has made it clear he's not impressed with the numbers OpenAI is discussing, though. Last month, sources familiar with Sanders' discussions with Altman told AP News that Altman remained "far apart" from the senator on how much stake in OpenAI the American public should have. At that time, Sanders revealed his legislative proposal, which would create a much larger sovereign public wealth fund. Sanders' plan requires leading AI firms to pay a one-time 50 percent tax on their stock. Sanders estimated that the tax would yield about $7 trillion, which could be disbursed as direct payments to Americans or invested in programs such as health care, education, and housing. According to FT, OpenAI has claimed that gifting a 5 percent stake to the US would give Americans more control over AI. But Sanders said the best way to ensure the public benefits from AI is to create a bipartisan Independent Commission for Democratic AI, with members nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. That commission could use voting shares to block leading AI firms from making decisions that could harm the public, Sanders told AP News. "The public has got to have a significant seat at the table to make sure that terrible things do not happen to ordinary people, and that in fact, AI benefits ordinary people, not hurts them," Sanders said. For OpenAI's "conceptual" proposal to work, Congress may have to get involved to implement the mechanisms that would allow the US to take a stake in any AI firms, FT reported. So it seems likely that OpenAI and other firms will be locking horns with Sanders to negotiate what's fair and what keeps the public safe as AI technology rapidly advances and Americans fear job losses, cybersecurity risks, and a range of harms associated with massive data centers needed to power AI innovation. Ars could not immediately reach Sanders for comment.

Government-Backed AI? OpenAI Reportedly in Talks Over US Equity Stake

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is in "early conversations" with the Trump administration about giving the government a 5% ownership stake in the company, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing two anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter. CEO Sam Altman's proposal reportedly calls for OpenAI to allocate 5% of its equity to a US sovereign wealth fund, a type of state-controlled investment. With OpenAI's current $852 billion valuation, 5% of that would price out at a $42 billion purchase for the US government. Under Altman's plan, other AI giants like Google, Meta and Anthropic would do the same, but it's unclear if they would be interested. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment. There's no guarantee the government will make such a deal. But if the plan goes forward, it would give OpenAI a much-desired financial and reputational boost amid growing criticism of AI. The move could also let OpenAI ease political and regulatory pressure as the company faces tighter government oversight and constraints on model rollouts while preparing to go public. The AI company, alongside rival Anthropic, has been gradually taking steps to make an initial public offering, allowing anyone to buy shares. While Altman could be trying to smooth his relationship with Washington and keep the company's IPO plans on track, the deal could also artificially inflate the value of AI companies in the eyes of Wall Street -- or put taxpayers on the hook for a bailout if the AI boom turns into a bust. What is a public wealth fund? A theoretical AI sovereign wealth fund would give the government some "skin in the game," so to speak, and return some of the "upsides" of the AI boom to the government, which, according to OpenAI, it could share with all of us. Take the Alaska Permanent Fund, for example. The Alaskan state government takes up to 25% of the money it earns from the oil and mineral industries (drilling, leasing rights, etc.) and invests it in the stock market. Then, every year, the state cuts a check for full-time Alaskan residents from the fund's investment returns. Last month, Senator Bernie Sanders proposed a public wealth fund proposal in new legislation that would have the US take a 50% stake, writing in The New York Times: "Since AI is built on the collective knowledge of humanity, the wealth it generates must benefit humanity." Right now, AI companies haven't turned a profit -- they've spent way more in data center infrastructure and compute than they've made through subscriptions. The pitch is that if AI becomes profitable in the future, financial success should be shared with everyone, not just tech CEOs. An AI public wealth fund, OpenAI said in an April policy paper, could have returns "distributed directly to citizens" and be managed to ensure AI doesn't exacerbate economic inequality. What's the calculus for the AI industry? The push for a government stake could endear Altman and the company to administration officials, who have increasingly demanded more control over the AI industry in recent months. Citing national security concerns, President Trump recently ordered a new government review process for new, frontier AI models before they're released. Some critics read the move as an effort to put the government on the hook before the AI industry goes south, effectively creating a kind of pre-bailout cushion. If enacted, a government stake in OpenAI "materially changes the investor calculus" of an IPO, said Indranil Bandyopadhyay, Forrester principal analyst. "Some institutional investors will view this as a de-risking signal; others will price it as a governance overhang." A potential 5% stake will also be expensive and require congressional approval, making a deal less likely. Ed Zitron, writer of the Where's Your Ed At newsletter and the Better Offline podcast, told CNET that z $42 billion price tag, while US households are facing record costs of living, could make that move "incredibly unpopular." "OpenAI is desperate and has been throwing out ideas of a sovereign wealth fund and government investments for over a year," Zitron says. "This is just another sign that the company has no idea what to do other than beg people for money."

OpenAI floats giving Trump administration 5 percent cut of AI boom

OpenAI has floated giving the US government a 5 percent ownership stake as a way of easing tensions with the Trump administration and blunting mounting public backlash against AI, according to the Financial Times. CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial interest in the company would be the best way to share the upside of AI, the FT reported, citing two unnamed people familiar with the talks. He's said to have first pitched the idea to Trump early last year. Altman reportedly suggested the 5 percent figure. Based on OpenAI's latest funding round, which ended with the company valued at $852 billion, that stake would be worth roughly $42.6 billion. The discussions are reportedly still in their early stages, and the proposal would involve other US AI companies giving the government similar stakes. It's unclear whether they would agree to such a deal. The proposal lands amid the Trump administration's unusually hands-on approach to AI, which has repeatedly stymied one of OpenAI's main competitors, Anthropic, and sparked concern over future interventions. Earlier this year, the Pentagon designated the company a supply chain risk, and last month the administration unexpectedly slapped its latest models with export controls, forcing them to pull it from the market and igniting uncertainty about the future prospects of US AI on the world stage. Public officials have shown growing interest in using policy to capture and redistribute some of the wealth generated by AI. Under Trump, the US government has already taken a 10 percent stake in chipmaker Intel and reportedly demanded Nvidia and AMD give the federal government a 15 percent cut of their revenue from AI chip sales to China. Others, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, have argued that AI is a public resource and suggested a one-time 50 percent tax on their stock value to establish a sovereign wealth fund.

OpenAI mulling giving US gov't a 5% stake in the company, days after Washington delayed GPT-5.6 -- Altman reportedly wants every leading U.S. AI lab paying into an Alaska-style public fund

A 5% slice of OpenAI's $852 billion valuation would hand Washington roughly $42.6 billion in equity. OpenAI has discussed handing the U.S. government a 5% ownership stake, the Financial Times has reported, citing two people familiar with the talks, with CEO Sam Altman proposing that every leading U.S. AI developer contribute the same share of its equity to a vehicle modeled on the Alaska Permanent Fund, which pays annual dividends to state residents from Alaska's oil wealth. At the $852 billion valuation OpenAI set in its March funding round, a 5% stake is worth roughly $42.6 billion. The FT characterized the discussions as conceptual and early-stage, and reported that implementing any deal might require an act of Congress. Altman is understood to have raised the idea with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and has spoken with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in recent weeks. The all-labs structure would pull equity from companies, including Google, Meta, and Anthropic, none of which have indicated they would participate. OpenAI declined to comment to the FT, and the White House didn't immediately respond. Altman's 5% is the smallest figure we've seen to date attached to public ownership of the AI sector. Sanders filed the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act in June, seeking 50% of the voting shares of U.S. AI companies through a fund his office valued at $7 trillion, enough to pay every American a $1,000 annual dividend. Trump said last month that he was exploring options to give the public a stake in leading AI firms, and Vice President JD Vance said the president prefers equity over cash payouts. The administration has already run this playbook on chipmakers, with the federal government having taken a 9.9% stake in Intel last August by converting CHIPS Act grants into equity at $20.47 per share, and AMD and Nvidia agreed to hand over 15% of their China chip revenue in exchange for export licenses. OpenAI itself proposed a "public wealth fund" in an April policy paper, and Altman first pitched a government stake to the administration in early 2025, CNBC reported last month. News of the talks comes just six days after OpenAI delayed the full public launch of GPT-5.6 at the government's request, with Lutnick reportedly warning Altman against releasing the model without prior approval. Anthropic spent most of June with its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models disabled worldwide under the first U.S. export controls ever applied to an AI model rather than to hardware; access was restored yesterday. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have confidentially filed for initial public offerings, and OpenAI faces a probe from a coalition of 42 state attorneys general. A government shareholding negotiated before a listing would lock in Washington's position ahead of the ownership expansion that a full float brings, however. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

OpenAI proposes handing Trump administration 5% stake

OpenAI has discussed giving a 5 per cent stake to the US government as the $852bn AI start-up seeks to clear political obstacles by securing financial buy-in from the Trump administration. Sam Altman, chief executive of the ChatGPT maker, has argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company is the best way to share the upside of AI and has suggested a stake of this size in early conversations with the administration, according to two people familiar with the talks. The proposed arrangement would involve other US AI companies handing over a similar stake, although it is not clear if the other labs would be willing to do so. Giving the government an ownership stake could help secure good relations with the administration and would mark an attempt to address political blowback by sharing the wealth generated by AI with the public. AI labs have faced an increasingly challenging environment in Washington as the American public and politicians grow more concerned about vast data centre construction and the implications of AI for jobs and cyber security. OpenAI and its chief rival Anthropic have recently both had the release of their cutting-edge models held up by US scrutiny, while some Republicans and advisers to President Donald Trump favour much tighter regulation of the sector. The two rivals are also preparing for public listings, which would expand their ownership base and generate big gains for current investors, although OpenAI's float may not take place until next year. Altman and other OpenAI executives have suggested that each of America's leading AI developers allot 5 per cent of their equity to a vehicle like the Alaska Permanent Fund, a sovereign fund that invests the state's oil wealth into stocks and pays dividends to the state government and residents. These companies might include Anthropic as well as Google, Meta and others, although it is not clear any of these groups would agree with OpenAI's proposal. After publicly attacking Intel's chief, Trump has swung behind the US chipmaker after the government took a 10 per cent stake. "Conceptual" talks between the government and OpenAI were in the early stages, and any deal might require an act of Congress to implement, the people said. But the discussions point to a potential mechanism to distribute the financial gains from the technology. Altman has been in active talks with the administration about the issue of public ownership, including Trump, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The OpenAI chief has also spoken to Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders in recent weeks. Sanders has pushed for public ownership of closer to half of each US AI company through a sovereign wealth fund. OpenAI and Anthropic have previously suggested in economic policy proposals that arrangements such as public or sovereign wealth funds may be required in future to distribute shares to the public. In April, OpenAI proposed a "public wealth fund" that "provides every citizen -- including those not invested in financial markets -- with a stake in AI-driven economic growth". The OpenAI Foundation, the company's non-profit arm, said in May that in an AI-led future, "society will likely need new approaches that give people durable stakes in the systems creating value", pointing to public or sovereign wealth funds. "The goal is not only to support people through economic change after decisions have already been made, but to give them a stake and a voice in shaping how that change unfolds," the foundation said in a blog. OpenAI declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Additional reporting by Joe Miller in Washington

OpenAI reportedly wants all AI companies to give the US government a stake in their businesses - Engadget

Sam Altman is in talks with the US government in a bid to clear political hurdles, says the Financial Times. OpenAI's Sam Altman has reportedly been in talks with the US government to ensure his company's path towards achieving its goals remains free of political hurdles. According to the Financial Times, Altman has suggested giving the government a five percent stake in the company, in order to share the spoils of the AI boom with the public. But his idea doesn't only involve OpenAI: Under his proposal, other top AI companies like Google, Anthropic, xAI and Meta would have to agree to give the government a similar stake in their businesses. AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI have recently encountered roadblocks from the US government when it came to releasing their latest AI models. Anthropic had to block all access to its Mythos and Fable cybersecurity models after being ordered to do so by the Trump administration. It was only recently granted permission to restore users' access to them. Meanwhile, OpenAI had to roll out a limited preview of its GPT-5.6 model to government-approved partners, as requested by the administration, as well. In June, Trump had signed a scaled-back executive order, which asks AI companies to share their most powerful models for voluntary government review 30 days before making them available to the public. Politicians, including Trump's allies, as well as organizations like the UN, however, are calling for more stringent AI policies. As the Times notes, giving the government part ownership worked for another firm before. President Trump used to call for Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign until his administration took a 10 percent stake in the chipmaker. Trump even recently boasted that "America's stake [in Intel] is now over 60 billion dollars" from $8.9 billion in 2025. Altman and other OpenAI executives reportedly floated the idea of having leading AI developers give a five percent equity to sovereign funds, such as the Alaska Permanent Fund, which pays dividends to the state government and residents. Talks between OpenAI and the government are in their very early stages, though, and the Times says any deal would still require Congress approval.

OpenAI proposes 5% stake to Trump administration to ease Washington pressure: report

OpenAI has proposed handing the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, the Financial Times reported Thursday, as the artificial intelligence startup seeks to defuse mounting political pressure in Washington. A 5% holding would be worth roughly $42.6 billion, after the AI fab closed a record-breaking funding round in March at a post-money valuation of $852 billion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested a stake of that size in early conversations with the Trump administration, the FT reported, citing two people familiar with the talks. It is not clear whether the administration intends to pursue the stake. Altman has argued that giving the public a financial interest in the company is the best way to share the upside of AI, according to the report. The White House and Anthropic did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comments. The proposed arrangement envisions other U.S. AI companies ceding similar stakes to the government, though it's unclear whether rival labs would participate, the FT said. The U.S. government holds a 10% stake in Intel Corp after an $8.9 billion investment in the chipmaker's common stock. In May, President Donald Trump said he should have asked for a bigger stake in the company. In June, Trump said that the U.S. taking an ownership stake in AI giants would be "a beautiful thing" and make Americans "partners in this revolution." The White House and OpenAI did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comments.

OpenAI may give the US government a 5% stake, following Trump's Intel playbook

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Rumor mill: OpenAI is weighing a plan to give the US government a direct financial stake in the company, as artificial intelligence becomes as much a political issue as a technological one. The $852 billion AI startup has discussed offering the federal government a 5% equity stake, according to two people familiar with the talks. The discussions are still in the early, largely conceptual stage, but they reflect OpenAI's effort to respond to mounting scrutiny from Washington over its most advanced systems. Chief executive Sam Altman has argued that the public should share in the economic gains created by AI. In discussions with policymakers, he suggested that a government stake could help distribute those financial gains more broadly while improving relations between the industry and regulators. The proposal is not limited to OpenAI. Altman and other executives have floated the idea of leading US AI companies each contributing 5% of their equity to a fund modeled on Alaska's Permanent Fund, which invests the state's oil revenues and pays dividends to the government and residents. Whether other companies - such as Anthropic, Google, or Meta - would agree to such an arrangement remains unclear. The proposal comes as AI developers face a more challenging regulatory environment. In Washington, concerns have grown about the infrastructure required for advanced AI, from sprawling data centers to potential impacts on jobs and cybersecurity. OpenAI and Anthropic have both faced delays in releasing new models amid US regulatory scrutiny. At the same time, some Republican lawmakers and advisers to President Trump have called for tighter oversight of the sector. People familiar with the discussions say Altman has raised the idea of public ownership with Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He has also spoken with Senator Bernie Sanders, who has suggested that roughly half of each major US AI company should be owned through a sovereign wealth fund. The notion of shared ownership is not new inside OpenAI. In April, the company outlined a proposal for a "public wealth fund" that "provides every citizen - including those not invested in financial markets - with a stake in AI-driven economic growth." Its nonprofit arm, the OpenAI Foundation, echoed that idea in May, saying society will likely need new approaches to give people lasting stakes in the systems that create value. "The goal is not only to support people through economic change after decisions have already been made, but to give them a stake and a voice in shaping how that change unfolds," the foundation said in a blog post. Any deal to give the government equity would likely require an act of Congress, the people said. For now, discussions remain preliminary. The talks come as OpenAI and Anthropic move toward potential public listings. Both companies are exploring IPOs, moves that would broaden ownership and generate significant returns for existing investors. OpenAI's IPO is not expected until next year. There is already a recent example of the government taking an equity stake in a major tech company. After initially criticizing Intel's leadership, Trump later backed the chipmaker following a deal that gave the federal government a 10% stake. The Intel arrangement has helped normalize the idea that Washington could take stakes in other companies it considers strategically important. OpenAI declined to comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

America First: Sam Altman Proposes 'US-Led International Forum' for AI and 5% Stake for Trump Admin

It's one of the biggest and most urgent questions in the international AI race: Will countries around the world ever reach a consensus on how to regulate the technology cooperatively? Sam Altman believes he's found the answer, one that would theoretically create a shared set of safety standards while simultaneously keeping the U.S. at the vanguard of the AI boom. In an op-ed published Wednesday in the Financial Times, the OpenAI chief executive called for "a US-led international forum that establishes accepted standards, provides expert and impartial analysis of capabilities and risks, and makes the technology available to nations and companies that participate and follow the rules." Such a forum, he continued, "could also serve as a governance mechanism over the [AI] labs, and guard against the commercial pressures that can lead to unsafe racing." He cited global aviation safety standards and the International Atomic Energy Agency -- established in 1957, at the height of the Cold War, to oversee the use of nuclear energy around the world -- as historic examples upon which a new global, US-led AI oversight forum might be modeled. The development of shared safety standards around AI poses some new challenges, however. AI development takes place in cyberspace, whereas new airplanes and nuclear enrichment facilities are built out in the open, where regulators, journalists, and others can at least hypothetically see and inspect them. The opaque conditions in which AI model training takes place make it much more difficult to know if other labs are adhering to a common set of rules. Both OpenAI and its biggest competitor, Anthropic, have previously voiced their support for the formation of an international committee that could implement a unilateral slowdown on new AI developments to prevent humans from losing control. A public appeal Altman's new op-ed was also aimed at an American public that's grown increasingly wary of the AI boom, a technological gold rush that promises to vastly expand the wealth of a handful of Silicon Valley fat cats while ramping up energy costs for the rest of us, among many other concerns. The formation of a U.S.-led international forum, he claims, would make it possible to widely distribute the supposed future blessings of AI. "Everyone on Earth should benefit from this technology and determine for themselves how best to use it," he wrote. How might such broad-scale public distribution be achieved? According to a report from the Financial Times, also published Thursday, Altman has been in early talks with the Trump administration about giving the latter a 5% stake in OpenAI. The company was valued at $852 billion following its latest funding round in March, which means a 5% stake would be worth about $42.6 billion. Altman's proposal would be contingent upon similar wealth-sharing agreements from OpenAI's competitors, like Anthropic, Meta, and Google, according to the FT report, though it's not yet clear if those companies would support the plan. Altman has reportedly been in talks with Trump himself, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He's also met with Senator Bernie Sanders, who introduced a bill last month calling for the formation of a sovereign wealth fund through which U.S. taxpayers would receive an annual check of $1,000 drawn from the coffers of the biggest American AI companies. Likewise, Altman's new proposal suggests that OpenAI and its competitors would hand over a 5% equity stake to public investment vehicles such as the Alaska Permanent Fund, a sovereign wealth fund that transfers a portion of revenue from the state's natural resource extraction industries to the state government, according to the FT report. Extending a hand to Trump While trying to bridge the trust gap with a disenchanted public, Altman's efforts are also aimed at shoring up the fractured relationship between the American AI industry and the federal government. Frontier AI labs like OpenAI have been walking on tiptoe for weeks, since a letter from Lutnick to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei ordered that company to block access to its new Fable 5 model for all "foreign persons." Given a very short time window, Anthropic was forced to remove the model from the market entirely, along with another one called Mythos 5. Fable 5 was redeployed earlier this week after deliberations between Anthropic and the federal government. In its announcement of the rerelease, Anthropic called for greater collaboration between AI companies and federal regulators to prevent similar shutdowns from happening in the future. OpenAI has agreed to gradually roll out its family of new GPT-5.6 models, starting with a cohort of government-approved partners. "We don't believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default," OpenAI said in its Friday announcement. Altman's notion of a U.S.-led international coalition to oversee global AI developments could also be a spoonful of honey to entice a president who campaigned on the slogan "America First" to accept the medicine of global cooperation to regulate the technology. An agreement with Silicon Valley's wealthiest companies could also serve as a political sweetener as Republicans brace for what they expect to be a rocky midterm season.

OpenAI has reportedly offered Washington a 5% stake worth $42.6bn

The proposal, described by the Financial Times, would see the government hold equity through a new public wealth vehicle rather than pay cash for it. OpenAI has proposed handing the US government a 5% equity stake in the company, according to the Financial Times, as the White House and Silicon Valley's best-funded startup edge closer to a deal that has been under discussion for more than a year. At OpenAI's $852bn valuation, struck in its record-breaking March funding round, a 5% holding would be worth roughly $42.6bn. Two people familiar with the talks told the FT that chief executive Sam Altman has argued giving the public a financial interest in OpenAI is the best way to share the upside of artificial intelligence. That framing tracks with OpenAI's own public statements since early this year, when Altman first floated the idea of a government stake directly to the Trump administration. The structure being discussed reportedly involves a so-called public wealth fund, a vehicle OpenAI first sketched out in an April policy paper that proposed pooling equity donations from AI companies and distributing the resulting economic benefit to citizens. Under that framework, OpenAI would donate shares rather than sell them, which would avoid a direct cash outlay from the government and sidestep, at least on paper, questions about how a private company transfers equity to the federal government in the first place. The FT's report, says the proposed arrangement envisions other US AI companies ceding similar stakes through the same vehicle. Anthropic, Google and Meta were named as potentially participating, though it remains unclear whether any of them would actually agree to OpenAI's terms, and none has commented publicly on the proposal. The politics around the idea are messier than the mechanics. Senator Bernie Sanders has pushed a competing and considerably more aggressive plan, the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would impose a one-time 50% stock tax on large AI companies to seed a fund the senator's office projects could reach $7 trillion. Palantir's Alex Karp has argued that OpenAI's voluntary 5% offer will look modest next to Sanders' proposal, and that full nationalisation of frontier AI companies is coming regardless of which version wins first. Where the two plans agree is on the underlying premise, that a handful of AI companies are about to become extraordinarily large and that the public should hold some claim on that value before it fully accrues to private shareholders. Where they diverge is on consent and scale. OpenAI is offering a small slice voluntarily, structured to look like a donation, while Sanders wants a mandatory transfer worth ten times as much, paid in stock rather than cash and backed by the threat of legislation rather than a company's own initiative. OpenAI's ownership structure already complicates any transfer of this kind. The company completed a recapitalisation last year that split it into a nonprofit foundation and a for-profit public benefit corporation, with the foundation retaining a 26% stake and legal control over the business. Layering a government-held 5% stake on top of that structure would require decisions about where the new shares sit, what voting rights attach to them, and whether the foundation's existing control provisions would need renegotiating to accommodate a new, politically sensitive shareholder. None of this resolves the practical questions that have stalled the idea for more than a year. How a private company transfers equity to the Treasury, who administers the resulting fund, and whether Congress would even need to authorise such a vehicle are all unsettled, and OpenAI's own restructuring into a public benefit corporation under nonprofit oversight already complicates the ownership picture considerably. The FT's sources gave no timeline for when, or whether, the proposal moves from talking point to signed agreement, and neither the White House nor OpenAI had confirmed the specific terms on the record at the time of the report.

OpenAI wants to give the US government a piece of the company -- but don't assume you'll get a slice too

OpenAI has begun discussions about giving the US government a 5% stake in the company, according to an FT report, with CEO Sam Altman supposedly raising the idea as a method for smoothing relations with the Trump administration. Of course, right now there is no agreement or deal, and no guarantee the idea will ever move beyond conversations. Any arrangement would almost certainly require political support and significant legal work before it could become reality. Still, the fact that OpenAI is even entertaining the conversation tells us something about how seriously artificial intelligence is now being treated, both in Silicon Valley and in Washington. The first reaction many people had was understandable. If the government owns part of OpenAI, does that mean ordinary Americans somehow get a share too? It's an appealing thought when AI companies are attracting eye-watering valuations while promising to reshape the economy. Unfortunately, that's not exactly a likely outcome, no matter what the intentions. AI economy access The reports suggest Sam Altman has discussed a model inspired by Alaska's Permanent Fund, which invests state oil revenues and distributes annual payments to residents. It's an odd framing of AI as a natural resource instead of a software business. Bullish AI fans insisting it will be economically transformative might see it that way, and if they're right, perhaps some of that value should eventually flow back to the public, many of whom have helped incrementally train the models through use. But the government owning shares in OpenAI wouldn't automatically translate into everyone getting a check. Financial benefits would depend on lots of little details, including whether profits were distributed at all, and if they'd go to public services or even the national debt over your own bank account. Despite being just a hint of a rumor of a conversation, the questions are worth taking seriously. AI companies are asking society to embrace changes that could alter workplaces, education, healthcare, and entire industries. It is not unreasonable for people to wonder whether they should share in the wealth created by those changes. Power at stake There is another reason these discussions matter, and it may prove even more significant than the financial side. OpenAI has become part of a broader conversation about national economics and technological leadership. Governments around the world increasingly see advanced AI as strategic infrastructure rather than another consumer technology. That helps explain why OpenAI might want a closer relationship with Washington. AI companies already rely on government decisions. Those connections are likely to become even more important as AI models grow larger and more expensive to build. But governments are expected to regulate powerful companies fairly and independently. Becoming a shareholder in one of those companies could make that relationship look unethical, even with the best will in the world. Public trust often depends as much on appearances as on legal structures. Especially since there's even less sense that OpenAI's competitors like Google, Anthropic, or Meta will follow suit. A government stake does not automatically mean the public owns part of OpenAI in any meaningful way, and it certainly does not guarantee anyone will personally benefit. So even if the proposal starts to become more real, skepticism and a close eye on any actual agreements is a healthy approach. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

OpenAI courts Trump administration as its latest investor

Why it matters: If the overture is taken up by the Trump administration, that would mean the government would have a vested interest in weighing whether or not to limit the release of an OpenAI model. Catch up quick: OpenAI views the potential government stake as a way to give the general public a share of the upside of AI, and CEO Sam Altman has previously shared with Axios his interest in some sort of public wealth fund. * The goal is to include other AI labs giving over a similar stake. * This could look like including shares in Trump accounts or some other vehicle that would give American households exposure to investments in AI, for example. * Anthropic supported similar policies in a recent paper, arguing for "universal pre-distributive capital accounts" with "priority given" to those with jobs exposed to AI disruption. Zoom out: The potential investment comes as the White House is still deciding when OpenAI can release its most powerful models widely, through a regulatory process that Altman has said isn't quite "optimal." * Altman proposed on Wednesday a U.S.-led international forum to establish AI regulatory standards, which could be a way to allow the government to invest without having as heavy a hand in regulation. Between the lines: Investors tell Axios that the idea of giving a stake reads like a PR stunt aimed at making it seem as if the public could benefit from the AI boom just as the technology threatens their jobs. Yes, but: The government's 9.9% stake in Intel, taken last August, appears to have paid off. * Its shares are up nearly 400% since then, although it has also come amid a broad rally for chip stocks. Friction point: The Intel stake was acquired under the CHIPS Act. A deal with the AI labs would likely require an act of Congress. * It's also unclear what a government stake would accomplish, other than giving the AI labs a closer relationship to what is currently one of their biggest hurdles: the government. * An investor in Anthropic and OpenAI tells Axios that the proposal reads more like a "political move" to gain favor with the administration than something that would actually create a shared benefit for the American public. What they're saying: A government stake would be a "troubling milestone" that hurts competition between the labs, " David Sherman, AI and financial inclusion strategist at io.net, a decentralized cloud network, said via email. * It "gives one AI company a government stamp of approval whilst millions of developers, researchers and businesses are locked out by skyrocketing token prices and endless GPU queues," he added, referencing the challenge in accessing AI at current costs or chips at current supply levels. * It comes amid broader concern about whether the government is already curbing the competitive edge of U.S. AI labs compared with China by putting guardrails around model release timelines. And if the goal is to share the financial benefits of AI, there are other ways to do that. * Some have suggested that AI companies share a percent of pre-tax income or that the government impose a tax on all tokens. Kevin Bankston, an AI governance advisor, wrote "JUST. TAX. THEM." on X. * Bill Gates proposed an automated robot tax in 2017 that could slow down automation, suggesting they should be taxed the same way human employees pay income tax. The bottom line: "The labs develop the technology, but citizens and their elected representatives must make the rules," Altman wrote in the Financial Times earlier this week.

OpenAI might give a 5 percent stake to the US government

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to give the U.S. government ownership stock in the AI company . Credit: Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images It seems like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has learned a lesson from Intel. If you want the Trump administration to back off your company, simply provide them with an ownership stake in it. According to a new report from the Financial Times, OpenAI, which is currently valued at $854 billion, is currently in early talks to give the U.S. government a five percent stake in the company. OpenAI CEO Altman has reportedly discussed the stake buy-in as a way to ease political pressure from Trump and his administration, according to the Financial Times report, which also states Altman has reportedly argued that doing so will also "share the upside of AI" with the public. The White House has increasingly involved itself in matters related to the release of new AI models in recent months. The Trump administration reportedly requested that OpenAI stagger its future AI model releases, starting with the upcoming GPT 5.6. The U.S. government wants OpenAI to first release new AI models to a select group of close partners before any public launches. Last month, the Trump administration forced OpenAI competitor Anthropic to remove its powerful new Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models from public use. The administration issued an export control directive ordering a ban on foreign nationals using the models. To comply with the government order, Anthropic suspended the models entirely. The Trump administration lifted the order on Wednesday following negotiations with Anthropic, allowing the company to make the models available to the public again. Anthropic reportedly agreed to work with the U.S. government on future AI model releases. Anthropic and the Trump administration have openly feuded before regarding the use of AI models. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated Anthropic a "supply-chain risk" to national security after disagreements arose over how the U.S. government could use Anthropic's AI models. OpenAI is likely seeking to avoid similar confrontations with the U.S. government as it prepares to go public in the near future. Last summer, President Donald Trump openly called for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. However, Trump seemingly backed off after the U.S. government took a 10 percent stake in the chipmaker.

OpenAI 'in early talks to give 5% stake to US government'

CEO Sam Altman argued move would share benefits of AI and it would involve other firms doing similar, report says OpenAI is reportedly in early stage talks to give a 5% stake in the ChatGPT developer to the US government as artificial intelligence companies attempt to smooth relations with Donald Trump's administration. The OpenAI chief executive, Sam Altman, has argued that giving the US public a financial stake in the company is the best way to share the benefits of AI, according to the Financial Times, which cited two unnamed people familiar with the discussions. The proposal would also involve other US AI companies giving a similar stake to the government, the FT reported, although it is not clear yet whether companies such as Anthropic, Google and Meta would agree to the plan. Such a deal would help improve the industry's relations with the Trump administration and could help garner political support by sharing wealth generated by the AI boom with the public. The proposal comes amid growing pressure from Washington on US AI companies. Last month Anthropic suspended its newest model after the government ordered it to curtail access for foreign nationals, on national security grounds. This week it said it had restored customer access to the model after resolving the government's safety concerns. Altman and other OpenAI bosses have suggested that each of the biggest AI developers in the US should give 5% to their equity to an investment vehicle such as the Alaska Permanent Fund, a sovereign fund that invests US oil wealth into stocks and pays dividends to the state, the FT reported. The talks are "conceptual" and in early stages, it said, and any deal could require an act of Congress to implement. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have previously suggested in policy papers that a public or sovereign wealth fund may be required in the future to distribute shares to the public. In April, OpenAI said that a "public wealth fund" could provide "every citizen - including those not invested in financial markets - with a stake in AI-driven economic growth". OpenAI and Anthropic are preparing to list on the US stock market, in moves that some investors believe could value both companies at more than $1tn (£751m). Altman has been in talks about public ownership with Trump, as well as commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and treasury secretary Scott Bessent, according to the FT, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. He has also reportedly spoken with the Democratic senator Bernie Sanders in recent weeks. The senator has been pushing for the creation of a sovereign wealth fund overseen by an independent commission and financed through a one-time 50% tax on the stock of the biggest AI companies. OpenAI was approached for comment.

OpenAI Woos Trump Administration as Investor

* Custom Feed: See the stories that matter most to you. * Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. ChatGPT creator OpenAI is reportedly discussing giving the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, in an apparent attempt to improve relations with President Donald Trump's Administration amid political pressures on American artificial intelligence companies. The Financial Times reported Thursday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the talks, that CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial stake in the firm is the best way to share the upside of AI. An unnamed person familiar with the matter told Axios the proposal is in its very early stages. The arrangement, according to the FT, would also involve other U.S. AI firms. Altman and other OpenAI executives reportedly suggested that these developers allot 5% of their equity to a sovereign wealth fund-like system, though it's unclear if any of them would agree with OpenAI's proposal. An unnamed source speaking to Reuters said the Trump Administration and Anthropic have not discussed the government taking stakes in the firm. TIME did not immediately hear back from Google and Meta when sought for comment. Altman had shared the idea with senior Administration officials since the start of Trump's second term and has reportedly ramped up conversations with them in recent weeks. The FT said among those Altman was in active talks with about public ownership were Trump himself, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the FT report. The second Trump Administration has previously taken stakes in private companies. In August last year, the government obtained a 10% stake in Intel Corp. after investing $8.9 billion in the American chipmaker's stock. It also took an equity stake in IBM and other quantum-computing companies. How such a stake could benefit the public The White House also did not immediately respond to TIME's request for comment on the OpenAI proposal, though Trump has previously toyed with the idea of the U.S. government owning a stake in AI firms: "There's something very interesting about it where it almost becomes a partnership with the American public." Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has also proposed legislation that would give the public a direct ownership stake in major U.S. AI firms through a one-time 50% tax on these companies' stock. This stock would be deposited into a sovereign wealth fund. In an April policy paper, OpenAI floated the concept of a "Public Wealth Fund" that "provides every citizen -- including those not invested in financial markets -- with a stake in AI-driven economic growth." Returns from the fund, the company said, could be distributed directly to citizens. Anthropic also expressed support for a similar policy in a paper released last month: "We should give every American a direct financial stake in the economy at the moment when AI is fueling growth." It called for "universal pre-distributive capital accounts," with "initial priority given" to those affected by AI-related job disruptions. Pressure from Washington Any deal with AI firms would likely require an act of Congress, the unnamed sources told the FT. While the Trump Administration has largely favored AI deregulation, these companies are facing pressure from Washington, as Americans have flagged concerns about artificial intelligence's impact on jobs and cybersecurity. Data centers that power AI products have also been under scrutiny, as they threaten natural resources and drive up costs of living. In June, the U.S. Commerce Department blocked foreign nationals from using versions of Anthropic's Claude AI models amid national security concerns. The government has since lifted that block this week, though Anthropic said in a blog post that one of the models, Mythos 5, was only made available to a set of U.S. organizations. OpenAI also announced last month it was restricting the release of its new AI model, GPT 5.6, at the Administration's request. The company said: "We don't believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default. It keeps the best tools from users, developers, enterprises, cyber defenders, and global partners who need them." Earlier that month, Trump signed an Executive Order establishing a framework for the federal government to assess the national security risks of AI systems for up to 30 days before their release. Strict government oversight complicates OpenAI's and Anthropic's attempts to go public. Critics also point out that increased oversight may slow the U.S.'s technological advancements and give its competitors, such as China, an edge.

OpenAI Offers US Government a $42 Billion Slice of Itself: Report

The talks follow a month of escalating government intervention in frontier AI releases -- including a delayed GPT-5.6 rollout and a temporary export ban on Anthropic's top models. OpenAI has been in talks with the Donald Trump administration about handing the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, the Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions. At OpenAI's $852 billion valuation from its March funding round, that slice is worth roughly $42.6 billion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's pitch frames this as democratizing AI's economic upside -- the best way to ensure Americans share in the industry's growth. He raised the idea directly with President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to the FT. The proposed structure would model a sovereign wealth vehicle like the Alaska Permanent Fund, a state-owned fund established in 1976 to invest surplus oil revenues and pay annual dividends to state residents. The proposal doesn't stop at OpenAI. Altman reportedly wants other major U.S. AI developers -- Anthropic, Google, Meta -- to cede a similar 5% to the government through the same vehicle. None of those companies have signaled any interest in joining as of yet. OpenAI launched GPT-5.6 in limited form just days earlier, after the White House's Office of the National Cyber Director asked for a restricted rollout while officials develop a testing framework for frontier AI. That was the second government intervention of the month -- Anthropic spent most of June in lockdown on Mythos 5 and Fable 5 while under emergency export controls, after the Defense Department previously labeled the company a "supply chain risk," before access was restored this week. OpenAI has been more supportive than Anthropic when it comes to its deals with the U.S. government, signing partnerships where Anthropic refused. Equity has become the administration's preferred tool for managing tech relationships. The government took a 9.9% stake in Intel last August, paying $8.9 billion by converting CHIPS Act grants into shares at $20.47 each -- a position now worth well over $50 billion. AMD and Nvidia agreed to hand over 15% of their China chip revenues in exchange for export licenses. Trump said in May he should have negotiated a larger stake in Intel. The FT characterized the discussions as conceptual and early-stage, adding that any arrangement could require Congressional approval. The deal, if it materializes, would mark the first time Washington holds equity in a private AI company. For OpenAI -- navigating a confidential IPO filing and a probe from a coalition of 42 state attorneys general -- the deal may be worth it. Senator Bernie Sanders, who met with Altman in recent weeks, is pushing a bill that would require the largest AI companies to surrender 50% of their equity to a public fund, with proceeds flowing to Americans as direct payments. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have filed confidentially for IPOs, meaning that any potential government stake agreed now would precede the ownership dilution that comes with a public float.

OpenAI offers the US government a 5% ownership stake

Sam Altman reportedly wants to hand the US government a stake in OpenAI worth tens of billions, and he wants Silicon Valley's other giants to do the same. OpenAI has offered the US government a 5% stake in the company, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, as the ChatGPT maker tries to head off growing political heat in Washington. That slice would be worth around $42.6 billion (€37.4bn), a significant sum even for a company as flush as OpenAI. The figure is based on the $852 billion (€749bn) price tag investors put on the firm just three months ago, when OpenAI raised fresh funds in March. According to the reporting, Sam Altman wants other big American AI players -- Anthropic, Google and Meta among them -- to hand over a similar 5% cut too, effectively creating a government-owned slice of the entire US AI industry. It is not yet clear whether any of them would agree. Altman's reported claims form a continuity with statements he has made in the past, where he pitched a "public wealth fund" that would invest in AI firms and pay out the profits to ordinary Americans. The idea is inspired by Alaska's oil dividend scheme, which shares state oil revenue with residents each year. Rival Anthropic has floated something similar, a "digital dividend" funded by taxing the AI sector. Altman has already discussed the plan with US President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He has also spoken to Senator Bernie Sanders, who thinks the offer does not go nearly far enough. Sanders wants a one-off 50% tax on the shares of OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI, and has dismissed Altman's proposal as a watered-down alternative to real public ownership. Trump has acknowledged the talks but stopped short of confirming anything has been agreed upon. Altman first raised the idea of giving Washington a stake in early 2025, and talks have rumbled on behind the scenes for more than a year.

OpenAI could reportedly give 5% stake to US government

OpenAI Group PBC has reportedly floated the idea of giving a 5% stake to the US government. Sources told the Financial Times today that the ChatGPT developer's executives made the suggestion during talks with Trump administration officials. According to the report, the discussions are at an early stage. The development doesn't come as a complete surprise. Last month, Bloomberg reported that OpenAI had first approached the White House with its government stake proposal more than a year ago. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the discussions by telling reporters that such an arrangement "could be a beautiful thing." OpenAI received a $852 billion valuation following its most recent funding round in March. A 5% stake would be worth $42.6 billion. The value of the shares could increase following OpenAI's initial public offering, which the company reportedly hopes will boost its valuation to $1 trillion. The White House's discussions with OpenAI are said to be part of a broader AI policy push. According to the Financial Times, the initiative could also see the government take 5% stakes in other AI developers. A 5% stake in Anthropic PBC would be worth $48.25 billion at the company's current valuation. A similar number of Google LLC and Meta Platforms Inc. shares would be worth even more. It's unclear whether the White House will also seek stakes in emerging, heavily funded AI labs such as Ineffable Intelligence Inc. and Yann LeCun's AMI Labs. It's believed that the initiative may require an act of Congress to approve. A few weeks ago, the U.S. government took stakes in nine quantum computer developers including IBM Corp., Earlier, U.S. Steel Corp. gave the White House a so-called golden share to win approval for its merger with Nippon Steel Corp. The golden share enables the government to veto production facility shutdowns and certain other business decisions. It's unclear whether officials will seek a similar arrangement with AI providers. On Wednesday, the U.S. Commerce Department removed export controls that it had imposed on Anthropic's latest language models a few days earlier. A government stake in leading AI labs may enable the White House to more actively regulate their research and go-to-market efforts. According to CNBC, the government's prospective AI lab shares could be placed in a sovereign wealth fund. OpenAI proposed such an investment vehicle in a policy paper published earlier this year. The document argues that the sovereign wealth fund should invest in AI labs and companies that are using those labs' software to optimize their business operations.

OpenAI proposes government stakes in federally backed AI companies

Sam Altman has reportedly engaged in discussions with the US government to navigate political obstacles for OpenAI. According to the Financial Times, Altman has proposed granting the government a five percent stake in OpenAI as a means to share the benefits of the AI boom with the public. This proposal would also extend to other major AI companies, including Google, Anthropic, xAI, and Meta, requiring them to agree to similar terms. AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI have faced challenges from the government in releasing their latest AI models. Anthropic was compelled to block access to its Mythos and Fable cybersecurity models following an order from the Trump administration, regaining access only recently. Concurrently, OpenAI had to provide a limited preview of its GPT-5.6 model exclusively to government-approved partners as mandated by the administration. In June, former President Trump signed a scaled-back executive order that requires AI companies to submit their most powerful models for voluntary government review 30 days before public release. There is growing pressure from politicians, including Trump's allies, and organizations like the UN for more stringent AI regulations. The Financial Times highlighted a precedent where a similar arrangement benefited Intel when the Trump administration acquired a ten percent stake in the company, which reportedly led to a significant increase in its valuation. Altman and other OpenAI executives have suggested that leading AI developers could also offer a five percent equity stake to sovereign funds, such as the Alaska Permanent Fund, which distributes dividends to residents. Discussions between OpenAI and the US government are still in the early stages. Any agreement would require Congressional approval before moving forward.

OpenAI Weighs US Government Stake Amid AI Regulation Push

OpenAI has reportedly discussed giving the US government a 5% equity stake in early Trump administration talks as Washington tightens AI model oversight. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has reportedly discussed giving the US government a 5% equity stake as artificial intelligence oversight in Washington intensifies. The company raised the idea in early discussions with the Trump administration as it seeks to navigate a tougher political environment ahead of a potential public listing, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company would be the best way to share the economic benefits of the booming AI industry. The report comes weeks after OpenAI announced it had confidentially submitted an S-1 for a US initial public offering, joining Anthropic in preparing for a Wall Street debut this year. It also comes as the US government takes a more active role in overseeing advanced AI models. Proposal extends to other AI companies The proposal would see several leading US AI companies contribute a 5% equity stake to a public investment vehicle. However, it remains unclear whether companies such as Anthropic, Google and Meta would support the idea. The Financial Times reported that Altman modeled the proposal on Alaska's Permanent Fund, which invests the state's oil revenue into stocks and pays dividends to residents. Under a similar approach, Americans could share in the economic gains generated by AI. According to the report, Altman has been in talks with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He also reportedly spoke with Sen. Bernie Sanders, who in June proposed a one-time 50% tax on the stock of the largest AI companies to create a nearly $7 trillion sovereign wealth fund for Americans. Source: Vivek Sen Washington steps up AI oversight The White House is preparing voluntary standards for frontier AI models following its intervention in the rollout of recent systems from OpenAI and Anthropic. The guidance is expected to be announced as early as next week and would set security benchmarks, establish review timelines and clarify who can access the most advanced AI models in the US and abroad. The Trump administration reportedly requested a staggered rollout of OpenAI's GPT-5.6 and temporarily imposed export controls on Anthropic's latest models over cybersecurity concerns before lifting the restrictions. Cointelegraph reached out to OpenAI for comment on the reported discussions but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Sam Altman wants to give a 5% OpenAI stake to the US government: Report

OpenAI is reportedly exploring a 5% equity stake for the U.S. government, a move aimed at easing political concerns and fostering ties with the Trump administration. CEO Sam Altman believes this approach would democratize AI's economic benefits. The proposal, which could extend to other major AI firms, seeks to address growing scrutiny over the industry's impact and ensure public participation in AI-generated wealth. Sam Altman's OpenAI has discussed offering a 5% equity stake to the U.S. government as the AI company seeks to ease political hurdles and strengthen ties with the Trump administration, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the discussions. According to the report, OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company would be the best way to share the economic benefits of artificial intelligence. He has floated the idea of a 5% stake in early discussions with administration officials. US MarketsPowered By As on 02 Jul 2026, 01:30 AM IST S&P 500 Top Gainers AppLovin564.61(9.58%) Coinbase Global159.24(8.93%) Meta Platforms612.91(8.81%) General Mills37.77(8.53%) Gainers" S&P 500 Top Losers Corning220.63(-13.62%) KLA266.19(-11.77%) Teradyne427.34(-11.68%) Micron Technology1,032(-10.57%) Losers" The proposal would also see other leading U.S. AI companies hand over a similar shareholding, although it remains unclear whether any of them would support such a move. The report said a government stake could help OpenAI maintain a favourable relationship with the administration while also addressing political concerns by allowing the public to participate in the wealth created by AI. Also Read | OpenAI spices things up with Jalapeno chips: Why the Sam Altman-led AI startup is building its own process Government scrutiny AI companies have come under increasing scrutiny in Washington as policymakers and the public raise concerns over large-scale data centre expansion, job displacement and cybersecurity risks associated with artificial intelligence. OpenAI and rival Anthropic have both recently faced delays in launching their most advanced AI models due to U.S. regulatory scrutiny. At the same time, some Republicans and advisers to President Donald Trump have been pushing for tighter oversight of the industry, the report said. Both companies are also preparing for public listings, which would broaden their shareholder base and generate substantial gains for existing investors. However, OpenAI's IPO is not expected before next year. Also Read | Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and Sam Altman are all talking about public ownership in AI Will other tech giants join?According to the Financial Times, Altman and other OpenAI executives have suggested that America's leading AI developers allocate 5% of their equity to a vehicle similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, which invests the state's oil revenues and distributes dividends to the government and residents. The proposal could potentially apply to companies including Anthropic, Google and Meta, although it is not known whether any of them would agree. The report noted that after publicly criticising Intel's chief executive, Trump later backed the chipmaker after the U.S. government acquired a 10% stake in the company. The discussions between OpenAI and the government remain at a conceptual stage, the report said, adding that any such arrangement could require Congressional approval. Even so, the talks indicate one possible approach to distributing the financial gains generated by AI. The Financial Times reported that Altman has discussed public ownership of AI companies with President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The OpenAI chief has also held discussions in recent weeks with Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, who has advocated public ownership of as much as half of each U.S. AI company through a sovereign wealth fund. OpenAI and Anthropic have previously suggested in economic policy proposals that public or sovereign wealth funds could eventually be used to distribute ownership stakes to citizens. In April, OpenAI proposed creating a "public wealth fund" that would "provide every citizen, including those not invested in financial markets, with a stake in AI-driven economic growth." The company's non-profit arm, the OpenAI Foundation, reiterated the idea in May, saying that an AI-driven future would likely require new mechanisms to give people a lasting stake in systems that create value. It pointed to public or sovereign wealth funds as one possible solution, adding that the objective was not only to support people through economic change but also to give them a stake and a voice in shaping that transition.

OpenAI proposes handing U.S. government a 5% stake, report says

OpenAI has discussed giving the U.S. government a 5% stake, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, as artificial intelligence firms face scrutiny in Washington over the likely misuse of advanced models and whether Americans would benefit from the industry's massive valuations. The ChatGPT creator has proposed that other U.S. AI firms also give Washington similar stakes, although it is unclear whether they would agree, the report said, citing two people familiar with the talks. The move follows growing public backlash in the U.S. over AI's potential to cause economic upheaval, including layoffs, and could help OpenAI sweeten ties with an administration that is increasingly taking an active role in regulating the technology.

Trump's AI Portfolio Could Get a $42 Billion OpenAI Stake - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Alphabet (NASDA

The Trump administration's technology portfolio may be about to get significantly larger. At OpenAI's latest reported valuation of roughly $852 billion, that stake would be worth just over $42 billion. The proposal remains in its early stages, and no agreement has been reached. If the proposal materializes, it would add one of the world's most valuable AI companies to a growing list of strategic investments backed by the Trump administration. A Growing Government Investment Portfolio The White House has increasingly embraced equity ownership as part of its industrial policy. An OpenAI stake would represent the portfolio's largest and most high-profile AI holding yet. More Than Just an OpenAI Deal For investors, the proposal highlights a notable shift in the relationship between Washington and Silicon Valley. Rather than relying solely on regulation, tax incentives or grants, the government could increasingly seek direct ownership in companies viewed as strategically important to the nation's AI ambitions. Whether the proposal ultimately moves forward remains uncertain and could require congressional approval. But if it does, the Trump administration's technology portfolio would no longer be limited to chips, critical minerals and Bitcoin -- it could soon include a multibillion-dollar stake in the company at the center of the AI revolution. Image via Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.

OpenAI: OpenAI offers 5% stake to Trump administration: report

The proposed arrangement would involve other U.S. AI companies handing over a similar stake to ⁠the government, The Financial Times reported, adding that ⁠it was not clear if the other AI firms would be willing to do so. ChatGPT maker OpenAI is reportedly planning to handover a 5% stake to the U.S. government. The proposed arrangement would involve other U.S. AI companies handing over a similar stake to ⁠the government, The Financial Times reported, adding that ⁠it was not clear if the other AI firms would be willing to do so. The move is likely to reignite questions about who should benefit from the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and how closely governments should be tied to the industry's biggest players. As per the report, the proposal emerged during discussions around OpenAI's ongoing efforts to restructure its corporate governance and secure support from the U.S. government. The report said the idea was presented as a way to align the company's interests with those of the country as AI becomes an increasingly strategic technology. Neither OpenAI nor the White House immediately commented on the report. If implemented, such a stake could be worth tens of billions of dollars, depending on OpenAI's valuation, making it one of the most significant government holdings in a private technology company. While governments around the world are racing to regulate artificial intelligence, they are simultaneously investing in AI infrastructure and viewing the technology as critical to economic growth and national security. The development comes as OpenAI continues to reshape its corporate structure while competing with rivals to build increasingly powerful AI models.

OpenAI Floats Giving Government 5% Share in Company | PYMNTS.com

That's according to a Thursday (July 2) Financial Times (FT) report, which characterizes the move as the artificial intelligence (AI) startup aiming to clear political hurdles with a financial buy-in from the White House. CEO Sam Altman has argued that giving the government a stake in the company is the best way to share the benefits of AI, and has suggested the 5% share in discussions with the Trump administration, two sources familiar with the talks told the FT. PYMNTS has contacted OpenAI for comment but has not yet gotten a reply. The report adds that the proposal also calls for other American AI firms to give the public a similarly-sized stake, though it's unclear if these companies would be amenable to the idea. The companies in question could include Anthropic, Meta and Google, the report said. Sources told the FT that Altman has been actively discussing the idea with members of the administration, including commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, and President Donald Trump. The FT added that Altman has also spoken with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats in recent weeks. Sanders has lobbied for public ownership of nearly half of each American AI company through a sovereign wealth fund. The report notes that AI companies have faced growing pushback in Washington as both the public and politicians become more concerned about massive data center construction, and the impact AI might have on employment and cybersecurity. OpenAI and its main rival Anthropic have recently both had the launch of their latest models halted due to government scrutiny, the report points out, while some Republicans and advisers to Trump have pushed for much more stringent oversight of the industry. Both companies are preparing for initial public offerings, the FT added, though OpenAI's listing might not happen until next year, as its advisers worry about a volatile stock market. OpenAI said last week that it would limit rollout of its GPT-5.6 series AI models to a select group of trusted partners at the government's request, though it plans to work with those partners and work on a wider release in the coming weeks. "We don't believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default," OpenAI wrote on its blog. "It keeps the best tools from users, developers, enterprises, cyber defenders and global partners who need them."

US government would get 5% stake in OpenAI under Sam Altman proposal: report

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly floating a proposal to hand the US government a 5% stake in the ChatGPT maker as the company looks to cement ties with the Trump administration and blunt mounting political pressure over the explosive rise of artificial intelligence. Altman has argued that giving the public a financial stake in one of Silicon Valley's most valuable AI companies would be the best way to share the economic benefits of the cutting-edge tech, the Financial Times reported. The proposal carries an enormous potential price tag. Based on OpenAI's most recent private valuation of about $852 billion following its March fundraising, a 5% stake would be worth roughly $42.6 billion. That figure could climb even higher if the company reaches its reported goal of a $1 trillion valuation in a planned initial public offering, which would value a 5% government stake at about $50 billion. While any IPO valuation would depend on market conditions, the proposal would rank among the largest federal ownership positions ever contemplated in a private technology company. The OpenAI proposal would encourage other leading AI developers to give roughly 5% of their equity to a government-backed investment vehicle modeled after Alaska's Permanent Fund, which invests the state's oil wealth and distributes dividends to residents. It remains unclear whether rivals including Anthropic, Google and Meta would support such a plan. The discussions between OpenAI and the Trump administration remain preliminary and could ultimately require congressional approval, people familiar with the matter told FT. Altman has personally discussed the concept with Trump as well as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, multiple people familiar with the conversations told the outlet. The discussions come as Washington has grown increasingly skeptical of the AI industry amid concerns about massive data-center construction, cyber threats and the technology's potential impact on jobs. OpenAI and chief rival Anthropic have been facing heightened federal scrutiny over their latest AI models, while some Republicans and Trump advisers have pushed for tighter oversight of the fast-growing sector. Altman's proposal underscores a broader shift in the Trump administration's industrial policy. Instead of simply offering subsidies or tax incentives, the administration has increasingly sought minority ownership stakes in strategically important companies. Intel confirmed in August that the federal government agreed to invest $8.9 billion in exchange for roughly 433.3 million shares -- amounting to a stake of about 10%. The chipmaker said the government would remain a passive investor with no board seat or special governance rights. The administration has also reportedly pursued similar arrangements involving rare-earth producer MP Materials and a package of quantum-computing companies as part of a broader effort to strengthen US leadership in critical technologies. Last month, far-left Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont proposed a $7 trillion sovereign wealth fund for the government to invest in AI companies. The Post has sought comment from OpenAI, the White House, the Treasury and the Department of Commerce.

OpenAI Weighs 5% US Government Stake as AI Firms Face Growing Federal Scrutiny

Meanwhile, the reported discussions come as leading AI companies prepare for public listings and continue working with US officials on national security and AI policy. The proposal also follows recent comments from President Donald Trump about giving Americans a share in the future growth of AI companies. According to the , OpenAI executives have discussed a plan that would allow the US government to hold a 5% equity stake in the company. The report stated that similar arrangements could also apply to other leading American AI companies, although it remains unclear whether those firms support the proposal. The discussions reportedly remain in the early stages. OpenAI and the White House had not responded to requests for comment at the time the reports were published. Based on OpenAI's latest funding round in March, a 5% stake would be valued at about $42.6 billion. According to the report, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes public participation in AI's financial gains could help address growing concerns over how the technology may reshape jobs and the wider economy. In April, OpenAI also proposed creating a 'public wealth fund' that would 'provide every citizen - including those not invested in financial markets - with a stake in AI-driven economic growth.' The Financial Times also reported that Altman discussed the proposal with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Senator Bernie Sanders. Any final arrangement could require approval from Congress before becoming law.

Washington Wants a Seat at the AI Table

The Trump administration may be preparing to take a more direct position in the AI boom The political logic is not hard to see. AI companies are raising enormous sums, consuming increasing amounts of power, reshaping local communities and creating a growing fear that the gains will be concentrated in a handful of founders, shareholders and technology platforms. Takeaways * Washington may be moving from AI referee to AI shareholder. * A public stake would give OpenAI political cover, but blur the line between national strategy and private capital. * Data centres are becoming social contracts: power, jobs and local benefits now matter as much as compute. * The real risk is precedent. Once the government owns one AI champion, the pressure to own the rest will grow quickly. The Trump Administration Gets a Seat at the AI Table The Trump administration may be preparing to take a more direct position in the AI boom, with reports that Sam Altman has discussed handing the U.S. government a potential 5% stake in OpenAI at an implied valuation of roughly $852 billion. The conversations are still early and conceptual, but the direction of travel matters. Washington has spent years regulating, subsidising and warning about strategic technology. Now it appears to be considering something more intimate: becoming an owner. For OpenAI, a government stake could offer political cover ahead of a potential IPO, soften resistance around job displacement and data-centre expansion, and align the company more closely with an administration increasingly willing to take direct positions in strategically important firms. The reported model is less conventional industrial policy and more Alaska Permanent Fund: use public ownership of a national asset to spread some of the upside more broadly. That may sound neat in theory. In practice, it turns the AI trade into something much bigger than chips, models and data centres. It starts to look like a national balance-sheet strategy. The political logic is not hard to see. AI companies are raising enormous sums, consuming increasing amounts of power, reshaping local communities and creating a growing fear that the gains will be concentrated in a handful of founders, shareholders and technology platforms. A public stake offers a simple answer to an awkward question: if AI becomes the country's next great wealth engine, why should the public only absorb the disruption? OpenAI has already floated the idea of a public wealth fund that would give citizens a claim on AI-driven economic growth. Meanwhile, data-centre operators are beginning to experiment with direct community benefits. xAI's reported "data centre dividend" in Memphis, including Starlink support and discounted service, may be an early signal of where the political pressure is heading. The industry is discovering that local consent has a price. The bigger issue is precedent. A 5% federal stake in OpenAI would not remain an isolated event for long. Anthropic, Google, Meta and other firms sitting at the centre of the compute race would quickly face the same question: should access to power, permits, subsidies and strategic protection come with a public ownership claim? That is where the AI boom begins to change shape. It is no longer simply a private-market race to build the largest model or secure the most GPUs. It becomes a contest over who owns the productive assets of the next economic cycle, who pays for the infrastructure, and who gets to share in the upside. And beneath all of it sits the same uncomfortable question now hanging over the AI trade: how much of this extraordinary capex cycle is genuine end-user demand, and how much is an increasingly circular ecosystem of companies funding, leasing and consuming each other's compute? A government stake may solve some political problems. It will not answer that one.

OpenAI in talks to give U.S. government 5% stake - report By Investing.com

Investing.com -- OpenAI has proposed giving the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, as the artificial intelligence company seeks to ease political pressure from Washington. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman suggested a stake of that size in early conversations with the Trump administration, the FT said, citing two people familiar with the talks. Altman has argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company is the best way to share the upside of artificial intelligence. The proposed arrangement would involve other U.S. AI companies handing over a similar stake, although it is not clear if those companies would be willing to do so, the FT said. It is not clear whether the Trump administration intends to pursue the stake. Giving the U.S. government an ownership stake could help OpenAI secure good relations with Washington and would mark an attempt to address political backlash by sharing wealth generated by the technology with the public. Separately, the U.S. government is in advanced talks with AI companies to create voluntary standards for the release of new models, following a series of interventions from the Trump administration in June, the FT said, citing people familiar with the talks. The standards, which could be announced as soon as next week, would set benchmarks for models with advanced cyber capabilities and establish release timelines to streamline future launches.