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OpenAI Said to Discuss Handing U.S. Government a 5% Stake

July 2, 2026 at 13:24 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Funding & M&A

OpenAI is reportedly in early-stage talks to hand the Trump administration roughly a 5% stake in the company, as part of a "Public Wealth Fund" concept to share the benefits of AI growth with the American public through government-held equity.

July 2, 2026 · OpenAI

OpenAI Floats Handing the U.S. Government a 5% Stake

In "very preliminary" talks, CEO Sam Altman is said to have pitched giving the Trump administration equity in OpenAI — a move to return the AI sector's outsized gains to the public, modeled on a sovereign-wealth fund.

Proposed stake in OpenAI

$852B

Approx. company valuation

~$43B

Tens of billions the 5% represents

What 5% of $852B looks like

Full valuation vs. the slice proposed for the public — drawn to scale.

$852B

Total valuation (100%)

~$43B

Public stake (5%)

Who & where it stands

Interlocutors

President Trump · Commerce Sec. Lutnick · Treasury Sec. Bessent

Stage

Conceptual — no deal reached

Reference model

Alaska Permanent Fund–style public wealth fund

Supporters say

Returns AI profits to the public
Markets welcome lower regulatory risk from closer ties
Cites Intel's ~10% CHIPS-Act stake as a precedent

Skeptics warn

Doubts citizens would see real benefit — a PR move
Government ownership could distort competition
Anthropic denies being in talks over a stake

Why now — the backdrop

Confidential IPO filing ahead of possible autumn 2026 debut

→

Closer ties could ease regulatory & security review

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Public pressure to share AI's rising valuations

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