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OpenAI Proposes 5% U.S. Government Stake in AI Company
The Financial Times reported Thursday that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has floated the idea of giving the United States a 5 percent ownership stake in the company. The proposal would mirror Alaska’s Permanent Fund, a sovereign‑wealth vehicle that distributes oil‑derived dividends to residents. With OpenAI’s March valuation pegged at $852 billion, a 5 percent slice would be worth roughly $42.6 billion.
Altman is said to have broached the concept with former President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and has also spoken with Senator Bernie Sanders in recent weeks. The plan would require a vehicle that draws equity from all major U.S. AI developers—including Google, Meta and Anthropic. None of those firms have indicated willingness to participate. OpenAI declined to comment to the Financial Times, and the White House did not immediately respond.
A 5 percent stake is the smallest public‑ownership level that has been discussed for an AI firm. In June, Senator Sanders filed the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would give a fund he controls 50 percent of the voting shares of U.S. AI companies, valuing the fund at $7 trillion and enabling a $1,000 annual dividend for every American. Trump said last month that he was exploring options to give the public a stake in leading AI firms, and Vice President J.D. Vance said the president prefers equity over cash payouts.
The idea follows a precedent in the semiconductor sector. In August, the federal government took a 9.9 percent stake in Intel by converting CHIPS Act grants into equity at $20.47 per share. AMD and Nvidia agreed to hand over 15 percent 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, according to CNBC.
The timing of the proposal comes a week after OpenAI delayed the full public launch of GPT‑5.6 at the government’s request. Commerce Secretary Lutnick reportedly warned Altman against releasing the model without prior approval. Anthropic, meanwhile, had its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models disabled worldwide under the first U.S. export controls 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.
The proposal is still in an early, conceptual stage, and the Financial Times noted that implementing any deal might require an act of Congress. No official statement has confirmed the government’s interest, and the companies involved have not yet responded publicly. The discussion highlights the growing pressure on U.S. AI firms to address concerns about public ownership, regulation and the distribution of the sector’s economic benefits.
At present, the situation remains unresolved. OpenAI has not confirmed the proposal, and the U.S. government has not announced a formal interest. The next steps would involve legislative action, negotiations with other AI developers, and potential adjustments to the companies’ upcoming IPO plans. The outcome will have implications for how the U.S. government engages with the rapidly expanding AI industry and for the broader debate over public versus private ownership of high‑value technology.
Altman is said to have broached the concept with former President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and has also spoken with Senator Bernie Sanders in recent weeks. The plan would require a vehicle that draws equity from all major U.S. AI developers—including Google, Meta and Anthropic. None of those firms have indicated willingness to participate. OpenAI declined to comment to the Financial Times, and the White House did not immediately respond.
A 5 percent stake is the smallest public‑ownership level that has been discussed for an AI firm. In June, Senator Sanders filed the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would give a fund he controls 50 percent of the voting shares of U.S. AI companies, valuing the fund at $7 trillion and enabling a $1,000 annual dividend for every American. Trump said last month that he was exploring options to give the public a stake in leading AI firms, and Vice President J.D. Vance said the president prefers equity over cash payouts.
The idea follows a precedent in the semiconductor sector. In August, the federal government took a 9.9 percent stake in Intel by converting CHIPS Act grants into equity at $20.47 per share. AMD and Nvidia agreed to hand over 15 percent 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, according to CNBC.
The timing of the proposal comes a week after OpenAI delayed the full public launch of GPT‑5.6 at the government’s request. Commerce Secretary Lutnick reportedly warned Altman against releasing the model without prior approval. Anthropic, meanwhile, had its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models disabled worldwide under the first U.S. export controls 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.
The proposal is still in an early, conceptual stage, and the Financial Times noted that implementing any deal might require an act of Congress. No official statement has confirmed the government’s interest, and the companies involved have not yet responded publicly. The discussion highlights the growing pressure on U.S. AI firms to address concerns about public ownership, regulation and the distribution of the sector’s economic benefits.
At present, the situation remains unresolved. OpenAI has not confirmed the proposal, and the U.S. government has not announced a formal interest. The next steps would involve legislative action, negotiations with other AI developers, and potential adjustments to the companies’ upcoming IPO plans. The outcome will have implications for how the U.S. government engages with the rapidly expanding AI industry and for the broader debate over public versus private ownership of high‑value technology.
