OpenAI Offers U.S. Government 5% Ownership Stake

OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, has floated giving the federal government a 5 percent equity stake as part of a sweeping plan that would pull in other major AI players too. The idea, first reported by the Financial Times, would value that slice of OpenAI at roughly $42.6 billion based on the $852 billion valuation the company locked in after its March funding round.

CEO Sam Altman has discussed the concept directly with President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He has also been in touch with Senator Bernie Sanders, who has his own, far more aggressive version of this idea. The plan calls for companies like Anthropic, Google, and Meta to each hand over a similar 5 percent stake into a new government run vehicle modeled on the Alaska Permanent Fund, the entity that turns Alaska's oil revenue into yearly checks for residents.

Why This Isn't a Typical Stock Story

There is no ticker to quote here because OpenAI is not publicly traded, so there is no share price, market cap, P/E ratio, EPS, 52 week range, or dividend yield to report the way you would for a listed company. That absence is itself part of the story. OpenAI has filed confidentially for an IPO, as has Anthropic, meaning retail investors could eventually get a chance to own a piece of these firms on the open market. Until that happens, valuations like the $852 billion figure come from private funding rounds, not daily trading.

Whether this equity handover ever happens is far from settled. None of the other companies named, Anthropic, Google, or Meta, have confirmed they would go along with it, and any formal arrangement would likely need congressional approval. The White House and OpenAI have not responded to requests for comment from several outlets covering the story.

The Case For Broader Public Ownership

Altman has argued publicly that spreading AI's financial upside beyond Silicon Valley and Wall Street is the fairest path forward. Back in April, OpenAI proposed a separate fund that would buy stakes in AI companies and funnel the proceeds to everyday Americans, particularly those who own no stocks or retirement accounts at all. Sanders wants to go much further, pushing for the government to take 50 percent of equity in leading AI firms, plus board seats and voting rights, with profits distributed as a universal dividend.

The Risks and Pushback

Skeptics will point to the Intel precedent as a cautionary tale rather than a template. Last August, the government committed $8.9 billion for a 10 percent stake in Intel's common stock. Trump later said in May that Washington should have negotiated a bigger cut, suggesting even insiders view these deals as works in progress rather than settled wins.

Regulatory friction is already visible elsewhere in the industry. OpenAI delayed the full rollout of its GPT 5.6 model last week at the government's request, and Anthropic had briefly cut off foreign nationals from its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models over national security concerns before those restrictions were lifted this week.

What Happens If Congress Says No?

The biggest open question is whether lawmakers will actually authorize a structure like this, and whether rival AI companies will voluntarily give up equity without a legal mandate forcing their hand. Until an IPO filing goes public or Congress acts, this remains a proposal on paper rather than a done deal.