OpenAI reportedly explored giving U.S. government a 5 percent equity stake

OpenAI discussed the idea of granting the U.S. government a 5 percent ownership stake as a way to ease regulatory pressure and address public backlash against AI, according to reporting by the Financial Times. The discussions, which remain in early stages, were described by two unnamed people familiar with the talks.

CEO Sam Altman reportedly first pitched the concept to Trump administration officials last year, with the 5 percent figure proposed by Altman himself. The plan would extend beyond OpenAI, with other major U.S. AI companies asked to offer the government similar equity stakes.

Based on OpenAI’s latest funding round valuation of $852 billion, a 5 percent stake would be worth approximately $42.6 billion. The proposal has not been finalized and would require agreement from multiple companies, making its realization uncertain.

The reported discussions come amid an assertive regulatory posture by the Trump administration toward AI companies. Earlier this year, the Pentagon designated competitor Anthropic as a supply chain risk, and last month the administration imposed export controls on Anthropic’s latest models, restricting their availability in certain markets.