ChatGPT creator OpenAI is reportedly discussing giving the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, in an apparent attempt to improve relations with President Donald Trump’s Administration amid political pressures on American artificial intelligence companies.
The Financial Times reported Thursday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the talks, that CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial stake in the firm is the best way to share the upside of AI. An unnamed person familiar with the matter told Axios the proposal is in its very early stages.
The arrangement, according to the FT, would also involve other U.S. AI firms. Altman and other OpenAI executives reportedly suggested that these developers allot 5% of their equity to a sovereign wealth fund-like system, though it’s unclear if any of them would agree with OpenAI’s proposal.
An unnamed source speaking to Reuters said the Trump Administration and Anthropic have not discussed the government taking stakes in the firm. TIME did not immediately hear back from Google and Meta when sought for comment.
Altman had shared the idea with senior Administration officials since the start of Trump’s second term and has reportedly ramped up conversations with them in recent weeks. The FT said among those Altman was in active talks with about public ownership were Trump himself, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the FT report.
The second Trump Administration has previously taken stakes in private companies. In August last year, the government obtained a 10% stakein Intel Corp. after investing $8.9 billion in the American chipmaker’s stock. It also took an equity stake in IBM and other quantum-computing companies.
How such a stake could benefit the public
The White House also did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment on the OpenAI proposal, though Trump has previously toyed with the idea of the U.S. government owning a stake in AI firms: “There’s something very interesting about it where it almost becomes a partnership with the American public.”
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has also proposed legislation that would give the public a direct ownership stake in major U.S. AI firms through a one-time 50% tax on these companies’ stock. This stock would be deposited into a sovereign wealth fund.
In an April policy paper, OpenAI floated the concept of a “Public Wealth Fund” that “provides every citizen—including those not invested in financial markets—with a stake in AI-driven economic growth.” Returns from the fund, the company said, could be distributed directly to citizens.
Anthropic also expressed support for a similar policy in a paper released last month: “We should give every American a direct financial stake in the economy at the moment when AI is fueling growth.” It called for “universal pre-distributive capital accounts,” with “initial priority given” to those affected by AI-related job disruptions.
Pressure from Washington
Any deal with AI firms would likely require an act of Congress, the unnamed sources told the FT.
While the Trump Administration has largely favored AI deregulation, these companies are facing pressure from Washington, as Americans have flagged concerns about artificial intelligence’s impact on jobs and cybersecurity. Data centers that power AI products have also been under scrutiny, as they threaten natural resources and drive up costs of living.
In June, the U.S. Commerce Department blocked foreign nationals from using versions of Anthropic’s Claude AI models amid national security concerns. The government has since lifted that block this week, though Anthropic said in a blog postthat one of the models, Mythos 5, was only made available to a set of U.S. organizations.
OpenAI also announced last month it was restricting the release of its new AI model, GPT 5.6, at the Administration’s request. The company said: “We don’t believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default. It keeps the best tools from users, developers, enterprises, cyber defenders, and global partners who need them.”
Earlier that month, Trump signed an Executive Order establishing a framework for the federal government to assess the national security risks of AI systems for up to 30 days before their release.
Strict government oversight complicates OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s attempts to go public. Critics also point out that increased oversight may slow the U.S.’s technological advancements and give its competitors, such as China, an edge.
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