OpenAI is reportedly weighing an unusual move: handing the U.S. government a 5% ownership stake in the company. According to the Financial Times, as reported by Bloomberg, CNN and others, that slice would be worth roughly $42 billion, based on Yahoo Finance's framing of the deal.
The reported goal is political. Multiple outlets, including Ynetnews, describe the proposal as an effort to ease pressure from Washington and the Trump administration. Stratfor Worldview and CNET both note the talks remain at an exploratory stage, with CNET characterizing them as "in talks" rather than settled.
The idea may not stop at OpenAI. Reporting summarized on MSN says CEO Sam Altman wants other AI heavyweights — including Google, Anthropic and Meta — to offer the government similar stakes, turning a single company's gesture into an industry-wide arrangement.
Context helps explain the timing. According to one MSN report, the proposal follows OpenAI delaying the full public launch of GPT-5.6 last week at the U.S. government's request — a sign of how closely regulators are now watching the company.
Not everyone is comfortable with the concept. In a Bloomberg segment, Kamala Harris said she was "deeply uncomfortable" with the U.S. taking an OpenAI stake. And Yahoo Finance argued the 5% offer "looks less like generosity and more like insurance," suggesting the equity is meant to buy goodwill and reduce regulatory risk rather than reflect civic spirit.
Why it matters: if a leading AI company hands the government an ownership stake to smooth political relations, it would blur the line between private industry and the state at the exact moment society is deciding who controls the most powerful technology of the era.