OpenAI has floated giving the US government a five percent ownership stake as a way of easing tensions with the Trump administration and blunting mounting public backlash against artificial intelligence, according to the Financial Times. CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial interest in the company would be the best way to share the upside of AI. He reportedly first pitched the idea to Trump early last year. Based on OpenAI’s latest funding round, which ended with the company valued at $852 billion, that stake would be worth approximately $42.6 billion. The proposal aims to align the company’s growth with national interests while addressing concerns that large tech firms are operating without sufficient oversight. By offering a slice of future profits, the strategy seeks to reframe the narrative around corporate power and present the technology as a shared national asset rather than a private monopoly.
This move matters because it directly addresses the political pressure facing the sector as regulatory scrutiny increases. It also sets a potential precedent for how private technology giants might structure future government relations. The valuation used for the calculation is the latest available figure from the confidential funding round.
- The stake would be worth approximately $42.6 billion based on the $852 billion valuation
- Sam Altman reportedly first pitched the idea to Trump early last year
- The proposal aims to reframe the narrative around corporate power and present the technology as a shared national asset
