OpenAI Offers US Government a $42 Billion Slice of Itself: Report
OpenAI has reportedly discussed giving the U.S. government a 5% equity stake, based on its March valuation of $852 billion, which would be worth about $42.6 billion. Sam Altman has pitched the idea as a way to spread AI’s economic gains more broadly, and has raised it with President Trump, Howard Lutnick, and Scott Bessent. The concept would resemble an Alaska Permanent Fund-style vehicle, and Altman also reportedly wants other major AI firms such as Anthropic, Google, and Meta to contribute similar stakes. The talks are early and conceptual, and any deal could require congressional approval. The proposal comes amid growing government intervention in AI and chips, including OpenAI’s limited GPT-5.6 rollout request and recent pressure on Anthropic. The Trump administration has increasingly used equity or revenue-sharing arrangements with tech firms, including Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.
