OpenAI is reportedly proposing to hand the US government a 5% stake in the company, a move that would make Washington a part-owner of one of the world's most valuable AI firms.
According to the Financial Times, whose reporting drove coverage across outlets from Yahoo Finance to Daily Sabah, OpenAI has floated giving the equity to a US sovereign wealth fund. TechCrunch reports that CEO Sam Altman has proposed donating 5% of the company's equity, framing it as a way to let the public share in the financial gains from the AI boom.
Several outlets attach a dollar figure to the stake. MLQ.ai values the proposed 5% at roughly $42.6 billion, while The Telegraph characterized the offer as a "$43bn" gesture and described it as a "genius power play."
Coverage frames the proposal as an effort to ease pressure from Washington and win over AI skeptics. Ars Technica reports that Altman is in active talks with the Trump administration, and noted the 5% figure is far lower than a target floated by Senator Bernie Sanders. Axios and Yahoo Finance describe OpenAI as courting the Trump administration as its "latest investor."
The talks come against the backdrop of a planned IPO. The American Bazaar reports the stake is being discussed ahead of a planned public offering, and MSN notes the proposed "Trump stake" has raised "governance overhang" fears among some observers. Data Center Dynamics adds that OpenAI has proposed other AI businesses join it in the arrangement.
All accounts stress these are early-stage discussions, and no deal has been finalized.
Why it matters: government ownership of a leading AI company would blur the line between regulator and shareholder, raising fresh questions about who controls—and profits from—the technology reshaping the economy.