OpenAI has proposed handing the U.S. government a 5% ownership stake in the company, a move that would give taxpayers a direct financial interest in one of the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence firms while helping ease growing political and regulatory pressure from Washington over AI safety and national security.
According to a Financial Times report, the proposal forms part of broader discussions between OpenAI and the Trump administration on how the United States should oversee and benefit from the rapid commercialization of frontier AI technologies, amid intensifying competition with China.
Based on OpenAI’s latest valuation, a 5% stake would be worth approximately $42.6 billion, making it one of the largest government equity holdings in a private technology company.
The proposal comes just months after OpenAI completed a record-breaking funding round in March, which valued the ChatGPT developer at $852 billion on a post-money basis, cementing its position among the world’s most valuable private companies.
According to the Financial Times, OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman argued that giving Americans a direct financial interest in AI companies would ensure the enormous wealth expected to be generated by artificial intelligence is shared more broadly rather than concentrated among private investors.
The newspaper, citing two people familiar with the discussions, said Altman believes public ownership represents one of the most effective ways to distribute AI’s economic gains.
Under the proposal, Altman suggested that Washington acquire a 5% stake in each of America’s leading AI developers through a government-backed investment vehicle.
Besides OpenAI, companies that could potentially be included in such an arrangement are Anthropic, Google, and Meta Platforms, although it remains unclear whether any of those firms would support the proposal.
Public Wealth Fund Idea Gains Momentum
The proposal builds on an idea OpenAI has publicly advanced in recent months. In April, the company proposed creating a public wealth fund that would own assets linked to leading AI companies and distribute part of the financial returns generated by the technology to the American public.
According to CNBC, discussions over possible government ownership have been underway for more than a year, with Altman first raising the concept directly with the Trump administration in early 2025. The latest proposal represents the clearest indication yet that OpenAI is willing to exchange a degree of ownership for regulatory certainty and closer cooperation with Washington.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration adopts a significantly more interventionist approach toward artificial intelligence, viewing the technology as both an economic opportunity and a strategic national security asset.
Federal officials have become increasingly concerned about cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with frontier AI models, the potential misuse of powerful systems, and intensifying competition from Chinese developers producing capable open-source models at substantially lower costs.
Those concerns have already led to greater government involvement in AI deployment.
Last month, Anthropic temporarily disabled access to its most advanced Mythos and Fable models after receiving an export control directive from the U.S. government over national security concerns. Earlier this week, the company announced it had been cleared to restore access after implementing measures that addressed policymakers’ safety requirements.
OpenAI itself recently agreed to initially release its newest AI models only to a limited group of trusted partners while working with the government on a broader framework for evaluating advanced systems before public deployment.
The reported proposal would also build upon a broader industrial strategy pursued by the Trump administration during the president’s second term. Washington has increasingly taken direct equity stakes in strategically important industries, particularly semiconductors, quantum computing and critical minerals.
Among the most notable investments was the government’s $8.9 billion purchase of common stock in Intel, which resulted in Washington acquiring approximately a 10% ownership stake in the U.S. chipmaker.
The administration has also invested in IBM and several quantum computing and critical minerals companies as part of efforts to strengthen domestic technological leadership.
President Donald Trump has previously voiced support for government ownership of strategically important AI companies. In May, after reflecting on the Intel investment, Trump said the government should have negotiated for a larger ownership position.
He has also described the prospect of Americans owning part of leading AI companies as “a beautiful thing” that would make citizens “partners in this revolution.”






