OpenAI Offers U.S. Government 5% Stake Worth $42.6 Billion, Reports Financial Times

According to the Financial Times, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has proposed transferring a 5% stake in the company to the U.S. government, worth roughly $42.6 billion based on the company's $852 billion valuation from March 2026. Altman pitched the idea directly to President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, framing it as a way to ensure Americans share in AI industry growth. The proposed structure would model a sovereign wealth vehicle similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund. Altman also wants Anthropic, Google, and Meta to contribute similar stakes, though none have signaled interest.

The proposal comes amid escalating government intervention in frontier AI development. OpenAI launched GPT-5.6 in limited form after the White House requested a restricted rollout while officials develop testing frameworks. Anthropic faced emergency export controls on its top models in June. The Financial Times characterized the discussions as conceptual and early-stage, noting any arrangement could require Congressional approval.