OpenAI reportedly proposes donating 5% of equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has reportedly proposed donating 5% of the company’s equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, according to reporting by the Financial Times. The proposal was cited as a way to "secure good relations with the administration and … address political blowback," though significant questions remain about its specifics.

The Financial Times report, citing two people familiar with the matter, notes that OpenAI’s proposal would also encourage other AI companies to donate similar equity stakes. However, the scope and implementation details of such a plan are not yet defined.

These discussions were previously reported by CNBC in June and were subsequently referenced by President Trump, who stated he had discussed "concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner with the companies." At the time, no specific size for the proposed equity stake was provided.

The proposal remains preliminary, and the Financial Times suggests any formal action would likely require congressional approval, which would significantly complicate the effort. OpenAI has previously discussed the idea of a public AI fund, including in a policy paper titled "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age," released in April. That paper proposed a public wealth fund that could invest directly in AI labs and companies deploying their technology.

The policy paper argues that "returns from the Fund could be distributed directly to citizens, allowing more people to participate directly in the upside of AI-driven growth, regardless of their starting wealth or access to capital."

A more aggressive proposal, the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in June. The bill would impose a one-time 50% tax on the stock of "systemically important" AI companies, including those involved in data centers, infrastructure, or robotics. Companies like Google and SpaceX, where AI is only part of their business, could spin off non-AI portions to avoid taxation. The bill has not advanced to committee.