OpenAI has proposed giving the US government a 5% equity stake in the company, a move that would make Washington a direct financial partner in the world’s dominant AI firm — and raise questions about whether the government can effectively regulate a company it profits from.
Based on OpenAI’s $852 billion March 2026 valuation, the 5% stake is worth approximately $42.6 billion. CEO Sam Altman discussed the proposal with President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, while also meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders to build bipartisan support. The arrangement would require an act of Congress to implement.
The proposal envisions a sovereign wealth fund modeled on the Alaska Permanent Fund, with other US AI developers — including Google, Meta, and Anthropic — contributing similar equity slices. Anthropic has confirmed it is not participating and has proposed an alternative “digital dividend” financed through AI sector taxes instead.
Critics warn the arrangement creates a fundamental conflict of interest: a government with a multibillion-dollar equity stake in OpenAI would have a built-in financial incentive to soften the safety regulations it is supposed to enforce. The proposal arrives as OpenAI moves toward a potential IPO, having confidentially filed an S-1 registration with the SEC in June 2026.
OpenAI declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations.
