OpenAI proposes U.S. government own 5% stake to address political blowback

Source Domain: www.cnbc.com

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OpenAI Offering Stake to U.S. Government: OpenAI has proposed a 5% stake in the company to the U.S. government, currently valued at approximately $42.6 billion. This comes in response to mounting political pressure in Washington regarding artificial intelligence operations.
Funding and Valuation: The company’s valuation skyrocketed to $852 billion following a groundbreaking funding round in March 2026. This proposed stake aligns with these recent financial developments.
Motivation Behind the Proposal: According to sources familiar with ongoing discussions, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sees this move as a way to distribute the economic benefits of AI to the public, thereby creating “partners in this revolution.”
Potential for a Sovereign Wealth Fund: The arrangement suggested could involve other leading U.S. AI companies, like Anthropic, Google, and Meta, ceding similar stakes to a sovereign wealth fund to collectively hold the stakes and distribute AI benefits.
Historical Context: This proposal follows a history of the Trump administration taking stakes in private companies, including Intel Corp and IBM, highlighting an interest in capitalizing on tech advancements.
Future Steps Uncertainty: It remains unclear if the administration will pursue this stake. Neither the White House nor the mentioned companies provided immediate responses to inquiries from CNBC.
Public Wealth Fund Concept: Altman’s idea for a public wealth fund was elaborated in April 2026 with a goal to channel growth from AI companies into a fund distributing broader economic benefits.
Leadership Endorsement: Donald Trump previously expressed support for such government investments, describing it as “a beautiful thing” that would benefit Americans directly.