OpenAI has floated giving the federal government a 5% equity stake in the company, a move that would value Washington's slice at roughly $42.6 billion and could reshape how the AI industry answers to taxpayers. The idea, first reported by the Financial Times, ties into a bigger plan pulling in Anthropic, Google, and Meta.
At a Glance
- OpenAI's proposed 5% stake would be worth about $42.6 billion based on its $852 billion post money valuation from March
- The plan would ask major AI companies to contribute similar equity slices into a government run fund
- Sam Altman has discussed the idea with President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
- Senator Bernie Sanders wants a far larger 50% transfer with government board seats and voting power
What Altman Is Actually Proposing
The arrangement described to the Financial Times would set up a government vehicle modeled loosely on the Alaska Permanent Fund, the mechanism Alaska uses to turn oil money into yearly checks for residents. Under this version, leading AI firms would each hand over a 5% equity stake, and the fund would presumably distribute value back to the public rather than to a single state's residents.
Altman raised the concept directly with Trump, Lutnick, and Bessent, according to Reuters, and has also been in touch with Sanders, whose politics sit far from the administration's. Whether Anthropic, Google, or Meta would actually sign on remains an open question, and CNN reported that any such deal might need congressional approval to move forward.
Why Altman Says Public Ownership Matters
Altman has argued that spreading equity across the public is the clearest way to make sure ordinary Americans, not just investors already in the market, benefit financially as AI reshapes the economy. OpenAI floated a related idea back in April: a dedicated fund that would hold stakes in AI companies and funnel returns to people who currently own no stocks or funds at all.
Quick Facts
- OpenAI's post money valuation after its March funding round stood at $852 billion
- Intel's precedent deal last August gave the government a 10% stake for an $8.9 billion investment
- Trump said in May the government should have pushed for a bigger cut of Intel
- Sanders' rival proposal calls for a 50% equity transfer plus board seats and voting power
The Backdrop of Government Scrutiny
This proposal lands while regulators are leaning harder on AI developers. OpenAI pushed back the full release of its GPT-5.6 model last week after Washington asked it to hold off. Anthropic, meanwhile, had cut off foreign nationals' access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models over national security worries, a restriction the government reversed this past Tuesday.
A Precedent Already Set With Intel
Washington has already taken an equity position in a private tech company once before. Last August, an $8.9 billion commitment to Intel's common stock handed the government a 10% ownership stake in the chipmaker. Trump later said in May that the administration should have negotiated harder and secured more shares.
Where the IPO Pipeline Fits In
Both OpenAI and Anthropic have filed confidential paperwork for initial public offerings, a step that would eventually let everyday investors buy shares on public markets. That timeline adds pressure to sort out any government stake now, before either company's equity structure gets locked in by a public listing, and it leaves open whether Sanders' more aggressive 50% plan gains any traction against Altman's smaller, voluntary version.