OpenAI Floats 5% US Stake Plan
OpenAI has reportedly discussed giving Washington a 5% stake as scrutiny of AI companies grows.
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OpenAI has discussed giving the US government a 5% stake in the company as part of a broader effort to share the financial gains from artificial intelligence with the public, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
The proposal comes as AI developers face closer scrutiny in Washington over national security, misuse of advanced models and whether ordinary Americans will benefit from the sector’s profits.
Under the plan, OpenAI has also suggested that other leading US AI companies give the government similar stakes, the report said. It is not clear whether those companies would agree.
A 5% stake in OpenAI would be worth about $42.6 billion, based on the company’s $852 billion post-money valuation after its March funding round.
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman argued that giving the public a direct financial stake in the company would allow Americans to share in the economic gains created by artificial intelligence.
The proposal was discussed as part of a broader framework under which the US government would hold 5% stakes in major domestic AI developers through a government-backed investment vehicle.
In April, OpenAI proposed creating a “public wealth fund” that would hold assets linked to AI firms and distribute the benefits of industry growth more broadly.
The idea draws partly on the Alaska Permanent Fund, which uses oil revenue to pay annual dividends to residents.
The Trump administration has already taken equity positions in strategic industries during the president’s second term.
The US government acquired a 9.9% stake in Intel Corp. after agreeing to invest $8.9 billion in the chipmaker in August 2025.
In May, US President Donald Trump said he should have sought a larger ownership stake.
Trump has previously endorsed the idea of public ownership in leading AI companies, describing government stakes as “a beautiful thing” that would make Americans “partners in this revolution.”
