OpenAI Suggests a $42.6B Equity Stake for the U.S. Government
In a groundbreaking move that could redefine the dynamics between Silicon Valley and Washington, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has reportedly proposed offering the U.S. government a 5% equity stake in the company. This stake is currently valued at approximately $42.6 billion, based on OpenAI’s record-breaking $852 billion post-money valuation from its March 2026 funding round.
As first reported by the Financial Times and later confirmed by CNBC, the proposal was presented by Altman to President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Altman proposed this plan as a means to ensure that ordinary Americans benefit from the financial gains generated by AI. This idea was inspired by Alaska’s Permanent Fund — a sovereign wealth fund that distributes oil revenue dividends to state residents.
The broader vision would also encourage other major U.S. AI developers, such as Anthropic, Google, and Meta, to contribute similar 5% stakes to the same government fund. However, none of these companies have committed to this arrangement yet.
The discussions are currently in the early stages and are conceptual. Any formal agreement would likely necessitate an act of Congress. This bold proposition comes as the Trump administration increases its oversight of frontier AI companies. The administration has already acquired a 10% stake in Intel and recently postponed the broader rollout of OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 due to national security concerns. OpenAI has also confidentially submitted draft IPO paperwork with the SEC.
Source: CNBC – OpenAI proposes U.S. government own 5% stake