OpenAI reportedly suggests 5% stake for the Trump administration

OpenAI has reportedly proposed giving the US government a 5% ownership stake in the company as part of a broader plan to share the financial benefits of artificial intelligence with the public, according to the Financial Times.

Based on OpenAI’s recent valuation of about $852 billion, the stake would be worth roughly $42.6 billion.

CEO Sam Altman presented the idea during discussions with the Trump administration, suggesting that the government could hold similar stakes in other leading AI companies through a sovereign wealth fund. The move comes as part of attempts to calm mounting political pressure on the AI industry.

President Donald Trump has previously backed the idea of giving Americans a direct financial interest in leading AI companies.

However, there is no indication that companies such as Anthropic, Google, or Meta support the proposal. Any formal plan would likely require congressional approval. 

Separately, Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed taxing the stock of major AI companies to create a similar public wealth fund, but the bill has yet to advance.

The discussions come as Washington increases oversight of AI developers over cybersecurity concerns and rising competition from lower-cost Chinese AI models.