Faced with an increasingly tense political environment in Washington, OpenAI seeks to anticipate stricter regulation. According to the Financial Times, OpenAI boss Sam Altman discussed with the Trump administration the granting of 5% stake to the American government.
If the discussions are only at a preliminary stage, the value of such a participation could be in the order of $43 billion currently.
Why such a proposal now?
The Trump administration has already demonstrated an interventionist approach, delaying the release of cutting-edge AI models from OpenAI and rival Anthropic due to national security concerns.
Separately, the US government took a 10% stake in chipmaker Intel, setting a precedent for this type of arrangement.
These discussions come as public concerns grow over data center construction and the potential impact of AI on jobs and cybersecurity. By offering participation, OpenAI hopes secure good relations with the Trump administration and respond to political criticism.
How would this participation be managed?
The idea put forward by Sam Altman and other OpenAI executives draws on existing models of wealth sharing.
They suggested allocating 5% of the equity of each large U.S. AI developer to a vehicle similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund. It is a sovereign wealth fund that invests the state’s oil revenues to pay dividends to the government and residents.
Does this mean that other players besides OpenAI will follow? OpenAI had already previously mentioned the creation of a public wealth fund so that each citizen has a participation in economic growth driven by AI.
Before IPOs
For companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, which are preparing potentially mammoth IPOs, clarifying regulatory uncertainty is crucial. Participation by the US government could also reassure investors.
