US Officials Eye Government Stakes in AI Companies as OpenAI and Anthropic Prepare for IPOs
3 Sources
[1]
US officials eye government stakes in AI companies, NOTUS reports
June 4 (Reuters) - Senior U.S. officials held preliminary discussions with major AI companies about the potential for the government to buy some shares in their firms, digital news outlet NOTUS reported, opens new tab on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. While the planning is ongoing and details are in flux, discussions have centered on having the firms voluntarily cede the shares to the government, the report said. The returns on the investment could then be directed to public purposes, such as distributing a dividend payment to all American households, the report said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The report comes as OpenAI and Anthropic prepare for blockbuster initial public offerings. OpenAI is preparing to confidentially file for an IPO, Reuters previously reported, while Anthropic, which makes Claude, confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO on Monday. Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru and Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
[2]
US officials eye government stakes in AI companies, NOTUS reports
While the planning is ongoing and details are in flux, discussions have centered on having the firms voluntarily cede the shares to the government, the report said. Senior US officials held preliminary discussions with major AI companies about the potential for the government to buy some shares in their firms, digital news outlet NOTUS reported on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. While the planning is ongoing and details are in flux, discussions have centered on having the firms voluntarily cede the shares to the government, the report said. The returns on the investment could then be directed to public purposes, such as distributing a dividend payment to all American households, the report said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The report comes as OpenAI and Anthropic prepare for blockbuster initial public offerings. OpenAI is preparing to confidentially file for an IPO, Reuters previously reported, while Anthropic, which makes Claude, confidentially filed for a US IPO on Monday. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has discussed the idea with government officials since President Donald Trump began his second term, the report said. Altman first pitched the concept directly to Trump in a conversation in 2025, and has discussed it again with senior administration officials in recent weeks as a way to more broadly distribute the economic benefits of AI to the public, NOTUS said. In 2025, Altman said OpenAI has spoken with the U.S. government about the possibility of federal loan guarantees to spur construction of chip factories in the U.S., but has not sought U.S. government guarantees for building its data centers. Anthropic is not having conversations with the administration about providing equity to the government, the report said. OpenAI, Anthropic and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the NOTUS report. Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday asking leading AI developers to voluntarily submit their most capable models for government cybersecurity tests before releasing them to the public. The administration said in May it would take $2 billion in equity stakes across nine quantum-computing firms.
[3]
US officials discuss taking stakes in AI firms, NOTUS report says By Investing.com
Investing.com-- Senior US officials held early talks with major artificial intelligence companies about the government purchasing shares in their businesses, NOTUS reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions focused on having the companies voluntarily transfer shares to the government, according to the report. Get more breaking news on the biggest AI companies by subscribing to InvestingPro OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has discussed the idea with Senior Trump officials, the NOTUS report said, while rival Anthropic was not involved in conversations over a government equity stake. Returns from the investment could be used for public purposes, including distributing dividend payments to American households, the report said. The talks come as OpenAI and Anthropic prepare for initial public offerings. The ChatGPT maker is preparing to confidentially file for an IPO, while Anthropic, which makes Claude, confidentially filed for a US IPO on Monday.
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Senior US officials have held preliminary discussions with major AI companies about the government purchasing equity stakes in their firms. The talks, which involve OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, center on companies voluntarily transferring shares with returns potentially distributed as dividend payments to American households. The discussions come as OpenAI and Anthropic prepare for blockbuster initial public offerings.
US Officials Explore Unprecedented Government Stakes in AI
Senior US officials have initiated preliminary discussions with major AI companies about the potential for government stakes in AI firms, according to a NOTUS report citing three people familiar with the matter
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. The conversations focus on having AI companies voluntarily cede shares to the government, marking a significant shift in how the federal government might engage with the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence sector2
.While planning remains ongoing and details are in flux, the discussions have centered on creating a mechanism where returns on the investment could be directed toward public purposes. One proposal under consideration involves distributing economic benefits of AI through dividend payments to American households, essentially creating a public benefit structure from government acquiring shares in AI firms
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Source: Reuters
Sam Altman's Role in Advancing Public Investment in AI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has emerged as a central figure in these discussions with government officials. According to the NOTUS report, Altman first pitched the concept directly to President Donald Trump in a conversation in 2025 and has continued discussions with senior administration officials in recent weeks as a way to more broadly distribute the wealth generated by artificial intelligence
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. The OpenAI chief has framed the proposal as a mechanism for ensuring AI's economic benefits reach the broader American public rather than remaining concentrated among private investors and tech companies3
.Interestingly, Anthropic, which develops the Claude AI assistant, is not currently having conversations with the administration about providing equity to the government, according to the report
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. This suggests the discussions may be company-specific rather than a blanket policy approach across the AI sector.Timing Coincides with OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs
The talks gain added significance as they coincide with preparations for blockbuster initial public offerings from two of the industry's most prominent players. OpenAI is preparing to confidentially file for an IPO, while Anthropic confidentially filed for a US IPO on Monday. These public market debuts would value the companies at potentially tens of billions of dollars, making any government equity position a substantial public investment in AI with far-reaching implications.
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Broader Context of Government AI Engagement
These discussions don't occur in isolation. President Trump signed an executive order on AI on Tuesday asking leading AI developers to voluntarily submit their most capable models for government cybersecurity tests before releasing them to the public
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. This executive order on AI demonstrates the administration's growing interest in oversight and involvement with the sector. Additionally, the administration announced in May it would take $2 billion in equity stakes across nine quantum-computing firms, establishing a precedent for government investment in emerging technologies2
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Source: ET
In 2025, Altman indicated OpenAI had spoken with the US government about the possibility of federal loan guarantees to spur construction of chip factories in the US, though the company has not sought government guarantees for building its data centers
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. This history of engagement between OpenAI and federal officials suggests an evolving relationship between the government and leading AI companies as the technology's strategic importance grows. The proposal for government stakes represents a more direct financial relationship that could reshape how AI development is funded and who benefits from its success.References
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