OpenAI is in discussions with authorities in Washington, D.C., about giving a 5% stake in its company to the US government, which would be valued at about $43 billion based on its estimated valuation of $852 billion, according to the Financial Times.
The idea is linked to Sam Altman’s push to give Americans a direct share of the money that artificial intelligence may create, while OpenAI tries to ease political tension ahead of a highly anticipated initial public offering aimed at competing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
OpenAI is seeking federal approval
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, told officials that public ownership could be a cleaner way to share the positive side of AI. After it was first mentioned, Sam was the one carrying an idea For talks with Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Besent.
The plan will not be limited to OpenAI. Sam and other leaders at the company discussed a broader setup where each of America’s top AI developers would put 5% of their equity into a public vehicle. This vehicle could function like the Alaska Permanent Fund, which invests government oil money and sends the interest associated with that wealth to the state government and its residents.
This broader list could include Anthropic, Alphabet (GOOGL) through Google, Meta Platforms (META), and other US AI companies.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic have dealt with US reviews that slowed the rollout of their latest models. Some Republicans and Trump advisers want tougher rules for the sector.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic are also preparing for future public listings. An IPO would open its ownership to a broader market and could generate significant paper gains for existing backers.
Sam also spoke with Senator Bernie Sanders, who has gone well beyond the 5% idea, pushing instead for public ownership of closer to 50% of every major US AI company through a sovereign wealth fund.
Last April, OpenAI called for the creation of a public wealth fund that would give “every citizen” a stake in AI-driven growth, including people who don’t own stocks. In May, the OpenAI Foundation, its nonprofit arm, said society may need systems that give people “perpetual stakes” in technology that creates new value. The foundation also said the goal should include giving people a “stake and a voice” before major economic decisions are actually finalized. According to to feet.
Trump expands Fed stock dividends
In Trump’s second term, the US government invested about $21 billion through 16 different corporate acquisitions, converting federal funding, including CHIPS-like grants, into equity stakes.
The largest known company is Intel (INTC), which the government acquired approximately 10% after recasting CHIPS Act-related subsidies into equity at $20.47 per share. Financial media is tracking the situation as reaching around $40 billion, resulting in a gain of roughly 370%.
As Cryptopolitan reported at the time, Trump had previously publicly attacked Intel’s chairman, then backed the chipmaker after Washington became a major shareholder.
The US government now also owns shares in MP Materials (MP), although the exact financing amount has not been disclosed as the deal is chip-based, but the stake is estimated at around 15%. The position is tracking with gains of about 136% and comes with a 10-year Pentagon purchase contract for rare earth magnets.
The Trump administration’s portfolio also includes L3Harris Technologies (LHX), where the government owns a defense- and communications-related minority stake. This position is tracking with a loss of 11%. GlobalFoundries (GFS) is another public company, with a minority stake in the semiconductor foundry now larger than the S&P 500.
Four other public positions were not mentioned in the statements released by the White House. What we do know is that one of them is a defense or technology contractor that uses part of the remaining $9.9 billion and is outperforming the S&P 500. Another company is an important materials company that is also ahead of the index. Manufacturing supplier performance is poor. The logistics or technology company is also lagging behind.
Of the eight public stocks in the US Federal Reserve’s portfolio, five are currently ahead of the S&P 500, although values change with market prices.
