OpenAI offers US government 5% stake worth $42.6B to ease politics

OpenAI has floated giving the US government a five percent ownership stake in the company, a stake worth roughly $42.6 billion based on a reported $852 billion valuation, a move CEO Sam Altman first pitched to Donald Trump early last year. The idea is still at an early, conceptual stage and would reportedly involve other US AI companies agreeing to similar contributions.

What exactly is OpenAI proposing?

OpenAI is proposing a five percent equity stake for the US government, a figure Sam Altman reportedly suggested; at the company's last funding round valuation of $852 billion that five percent would be worth roughly $42.6 billion. Two people familiar with the talks told the Financial Times that Altman has argued the best way to share the upside of AI is to give the public a direct financial interest. The discussions have been described as still early and conceptual, and the proposal could call for leading US AI developers, not just OpenAI, to contribute similar stakes to a shared vehicle.

Why is the government involved now?

The proposal arrives amid heightened US government intervention in AI, including recent actions that have affected competing firms. The Trump administration has taken steps that have repeatedly stymied Anthropic: earlier this year the Pentagon designated that company a supply chain risk, and last month export controls were placed on its latest models, forcing them to be pulled from the market. The Verge also notes prior steps under this administration to capture AI-related value: a reported 10 percent stake in Intel, demands that Nvidia and AMD give the federal government a 15 percent cut of their revenue from AI chip sales to China, and proposals from figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders for a one-time 50 percent tax on AI firms' stock value to seed a sovereign wealth fund.

Why it matters

A government equity stake would change how political pressure and regulation interact with the largest AI firms. Proponents see it as a direct way to distribute economic gains from AI to the public while aligning incentives; critics worry that government ownership would make future bailouts more likely if a company runs into trouble. The discussions also raise questions about whether other AI companies would agree and whether such a plan would require legislative approval: the talks have been described as going on for more than a year and implementing the idea could require an act of Congress.

What to watch

Watch whether other leading US AI developers sign on to a shared vehicle and whether the talks move from conceptual discussions to formal proposals that reach Capitol Hill. Concrete signals will include any legislative language drafted to enable government equity stakes, and public agreement from other AI firms to contribute equity.