OpenAI Offers US Government 5% Stake - Before a Trillion-Dollar IPO

OpenAI is dangling a 5% equity stake in front of the US government — not out of altruism, but as a calculated bet to defuse political landmines before its anticipated trillion-dollar IPO.

According to the Financial Times, Sam Altman has been in early-stage talks with the Trump administration — including commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and treasury secretary Scott Bessent — to hand over a slice of the company to a public investment vehicle. The proposal would also rope in other US AI firms like Anthropic, Google, and Meta, though none have signed on yet.

Why 5% Matters More Than Any PR Campaign

Altman’s pitch: a sovereign wealth fund modeled on the Alaska Permanent Fund, which pays dividends from oil revenue to every state resident. The AI version would take 5% equity from each major developer and distribute returns to the public. The FT reports the talks are “conceptual” and early, but the mere existence of the discussions tells you how fast the political calculus is shifting.

OpenAI and Anthropic have both floated similar ideas in policy papers since April. Back then it was abstract theory. Now it’s a direct negotiation with the president and cabinet members, with Senator Bernie Sanders pushing a competing plan that would slap a 50% one-time tax on AI companies’ stock instead.

The IPO Clock Is Ticking

Both OpenAI and Anthropic are preparing to list, with some investors pegging their combined value at over $1tn. That’s a lot of political exposure. The Trump administration already forced Anthropic to suspend a model over national security concerns. OpenAI is watching that playbook closely.

A 5% giveaway is cheap insurance compared to the cost of a regulatory crackdown or a forced breakup. It hands the government a seat at the table without ceding control — and it creates a massive constituency of citizens who directly benefit from AI profits. That’s harder to tax or regulate.

Altman’s conversations with Trump, Lutnick, Bessent, and even Sanders suggest he’s playing all sides. The proposal may require an act of Congress to implement, but the groundwork is being laid now. Expect other AI companies to be dragged into similar discussions — or to preemptively offer their own stakes before the government asks for more.

Source: OpenAI: In early talks to give 5% stake to US Government
Domain: theguardian.com