OpenAI Offers 5% Stake to U.S. Government

OpenAI has proposed giving the U.S. government a 5% equity stake worth $42.6 billion to ease political pressure, with CEO Sam Altman arguing it shares AI's benefits. The plan, discussed since early 2025, would create a government-seeded public wealth fund and could extend to other AI labs.

OpenAI has proposed giving the U.S. government a 5% equity stake in the company, worth roughly $42.6 billion at its $852 billion March 2026 valuation, the Financial Times reported on July 2, 2026, with CNBC saying the move is partly aimed at defusing political pressure in Washington. According to the Financial Times, CEO Sam Altman argued giving the public a financial interest is the best way to share AI's upside; the proposal envisions a government-seeded "Public Wealth Fund" and could extend to other AI labs. Talks have run since Altman first pitched the concept to Trump in early 2025, and follow precedent: the U.S. already holds a 10% stake in Intel and takes a cut of Nvidia and AMD's China AI chip sales. It remains unclear whether the administration will accept the offer.