OpenAI has approached the Trump administration with a proposal to transfer a 5% equity stake to the U.S. government, the Financial Times reported on July 2. At OpenAI’s current $852 billion valuation, the stake would be worth approximately $42.6 billion.
What’s Being Proposed
CEO Sam Altman pitched the arrangement directly to President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The structure would channel the government’s equity into a sovereign wealth fund modeled on Alaska’s Permanent Fund, which distributes annual dividends to state residents.
Altman’s broader vision extends beyond OpenAI: the proposal envisions other major U.S. AI companies — including Anthropic, Google, Meta, and xAI — contributing similar stakes to the same fund. Whether those firms would agree remains unclear.
Why OpenAI Is Making the Offer
The proposal arrives as Washington grows increasingly uneasy about the national security implications of advanced AI systems and competition from Chinese open-source models. Converting the government from regulator into financial stakeholder could help ease political pressure on the company.
Trump has previously described government ownership in AI firms as a beautiful thing that would make Americans partners in this revolution.
What Comes Next
Any formal arrangement would require Congressional approval, and talks remain at an early stage. An existing executive order already requires AI companies to submit powerful models for voluntary government review 30 days before public release, laying groundwork for deeper collaboration.