- OpenAI proposed giving the US a 5% stake valued at around $42.6 billion.
- The stake would mirror the Alaska Permanent Fund, a public wealth dividend fund.
- Anthropic, Google, and Meta were named as potential participants in the proposal.
OpenAI has proposed handing the United States government a 5% stake in the company as the artificial intelligence startup looks to ease mounting political pressure in Washington over who benefits from the AI boom, according to reports.
At OpenAI’s current valuation of $852 billion following a record-breaking funding round in March, a 5% holding would be worth approximately $42.6 billion. The proposal envisions the stake being held through a vehicle similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, a state-owned corporation seeded with oil revenues that pays annual dividends to residents.
Chief Executive Sam Altman has argued that giving the public a financial interest in the company is the most effective way to share the economic upside of artificial intelligence.
He reportedly pitched the concept to the Trump administration as early as 2025 and has since discussed it with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders.
Broader Industry Participation Being Floated
The proposal does not stop at OpenAI. The proposal has suggested that other leading US artificial intelligence firms hand the government similar stakes through the same vehicle. Anthropic, Google, and Meta were named in the report as potentially participating, though it is unclear whether any of them would agree to the arrangement.
The Political Context
The proposal comes against a backdrop of growing scrutiny in Washington over two questions: whether advanced AI models could be misused, and whether ordinary Americans will see any financial benefit from a technology that is reshaping entire industries.
President Donald Trump said last month he was exploring options to give the public a stake in leading AI companies, calling the idea of the US taking ownership in AI giants a beautiful thing that would make Americans partners in the revolution.
The administration has previously taken equity positions in private companies, including a 10% stake in Intel following an $8.9 billion investment in August last year. Trump later said he should have asked for a bigger stake.
Recent Government Influence On OpenAI
The stake proposal comes shortly after OpenAI delayed the full public launch of GPT-5.6 at the US government’s request. That announcement followed the government ordering Anthropic to suspend access to its most advanced models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for foreign nationals on national security grounds.
In April, OpenAI had separately proposed creating a public wealth fund to hold assets in AI companies and distribute economic benefits to the public. Anthropic has also floated a concept it calls a digital dividend, defined as direct payments to Americans funded through taxes on the AI sector.
Related: Anthropic Restores Global Access to Fable 5 After U.S. Export Controls End
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. The article does not constitute financial advice or advice of any kind. Coin Edition is not responsible for any losses incurred as a result of the utilization of content, products, or services mentioned. Readers are advised to exercise caution before taking any action related to the company.
