OpenAI Considers Selling 5% Stake to US Government to Ease Pressure

OpenAI is reportedly considering a proposal to give the US government a 5% stake in the company to alleviate pressure from Washington. The move was suggested by Sam Altman, who believes that every American should own a piece of OpenAI. The proposal would involve all major AI companies granting the government a 5% stake.

OpenAI has floated giving the US government a 5% equity stake as a way to defuse mounting political pressure in Washington, according to reports . Crucially, the proposal describes donating the equity rather than selling it, so the arrangement would not require a cash outlay from taxpayers. CEO Sam Altman is said to favor the idea as the best way to let the public share in the upside of artificial intelligence.

At OpenAI's most recent post-money valuation of roughly $852 billion, set in a record March funding round, a 5% stake would be worth about $42.6 billion. Altman reportedly framed it as part of a broader template under which the government would hold 5% of each leading US AI company, echoing the Alaska Permanent Fund model that distributes resource revenue to residents . Former President Trump has previously said a government stake in AI firms could be 'a beautiful thing' .

The plan remains conceptual and would likely require Congressional approval, leaving no clear timeline . For public-market investors, the read-through runs through OpenAI's partners and rivals: Microsoft MSFT, OpenAI's largest commercial backer, and chip supplier Nvidia NVDA could both be affected by any governance strings attached to federal ownership. Markets will watch for official confirmation and whether peers such as Anthropic face similar expectations.