Juicy 5% stake to give the public a way to share the upside of AI, Altman said. The public?
💸 Stake or Statecraft?
- OpenAI has floated an eye-catching proposal: give the US government a 5% ownership stake in the AI giant. At its latest , that slice would be worth roughly $42.6 billion.
- According to the Financial Times, CEO Sam Altman pitched the idea as a way for the public to share in AI’s upside.
- Giving the government a direct financial interest in a company’s success could also be seen as an “envelope diplomacy,” if you catch the drift.
- The discussions are reportedly still in the early stages. Nothing has been agreed, but the proposal highlights just how intertwined AI development and government participation are becoming.
🏛️ A New Kind of Public-Private Deal
- The offer goes beyond OpenAI. Altman reportedly suggested that other leading US AI developers, including Google, Meta, and Anthropic, could also contribute 5% stakes into a government-backed investment vehicle. Whether any of them would agree is another story entirely.
- The idea comes as Washington ramps up its involvement in strategic industries. During President Trump’s second term, the administration has already taken stakes in companies tied to critical technologies, including Intel, IBM, and firms involved in quantum computing and critical minerals.
- For OpenAI, the move could also ease growing political pressure. Closer ties, or “incentivized alignment” with Washington may prove just as valuable as another blockbuster funding round.