OpenAI has proposed handing the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, the Financial Times reported Thursday, as the artificial intelligence startup seeks to defuse mounting political pressure in Washington.
A 5% holding would be worth roughly $42.6 billion, based on OpenAI's post-money valuation of $852 billion from its record-breaking funding round in March.
CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial interest in the company is the best way to share the upside of AI, according to two people familiar with the talks cited by the FT.
Altman suggested the stake as part of a broader arrangement under which Washington would hold 5% of each leading U.S. AI developer via a government vehicle. The proposal envisions other AI companies such as Anthropic, Google, and Meta ceding similar stakes through a sovereign wealth fund mechanism.
It is not clear whether these groups would agree to OpenAI's proposal.
Political Pressure Mounts on AI Giants
Pressure has been mounting on major U.S. AI firms as Washington grows increasingly wary of cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with their models and rising competition from Chinese open-source models that are proving almost as capable and significantly cheaper.
The proposal follows more than a year of discussions about a possible government stake. Altman first pitched the concept directly to the Trump administration in early 2025.
In April, OpenAI proposed creating a "public wealth fund" to hold assets capturing growth in AI companies and distribute economic benefits to the public.
Trump Supportive of Government Stakes
President Donald Trump has previously described the U.S. taking an ownership stake in AI giants as "a beautiful thing" that would make Americans "partners in this revolution."
The Trump administration has already taken stakes in private companies, investing in Intel Corp, IBM, and other quantum and critical mineral companies during the president's second term. The government obtained a 10% stake in Intel after an $8.9 billion investment in the chipmaker's common stock in August last year.
OpenAI's proposal comes at a pivotal moment for the AI industry. Rival Anthropic had to disable access to its most advanced Mythos and Fable models last month to comply with a government export control directive, though it was cleared to restore access this week after addressing safety concerns.
