WASHINGTON: OpenAI has proposed giving the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, a move aimed at easing rising political scrutiny in Washington, according to a Financial Times report cited by CNBC.
A stake of that size would be worth about $42.6 billion, based on OpenAI’s $852 billion post-money valuation after its latest funding round in March.
The report said CEO Sam Altman has floated the idea in discussions that the public should share in the financial upside of artificial intelligence.
He reportedly raised the proposal during early talks with the Trump administration, suggesting a structure in which the government would hold a 5% stake in major U.S. AI companies through a dedicated investment vehicle.
Under the plan, other leading AI firms, including Anthropic, Google and Meta, could also be asked to contribute similar stakes, potentially through a sovereign wealth-style fund. It is not yet clear whether any of the companies would agree.
The White House, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The proposal comes as U.S. official’s step up scrutiny of major AI companies over security risks and intensifying competition from China’s fast-growing open-source AI models.
According to earlier CNBC reporting, discussions around government participation in AI firms have been underway for more than a year, with Altman first raising the concept in early 2025. In April, OpenAI also suggested a “public wealth fund” to distribute AI-driven gains more broadly.
The U.S. government has previously taken equity stakes in private companies during President Donald Trump’s second term, including investments in Intel and other strategic sectors.
The administration has framed such moves as a way to make Americans “partners” in major technological growth.
