OpenAI Proposes 5% Equity Stake to Trump Administration to Ease Washington Pressure

OpenAI has proposed transferring 5% of the company's equity to the U.S. government in an effort to ease political pressure from Washington. According to the Financial Times, this stake would be worth approximately $42.6 billion, based on OpenAI's recent valuation of $852 billion.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, argued that such a move would be the best way to share the fruits of AI technology advancement with the public. The proposed initiative includes a broader cooperative model in which a government-led body would secure 5% stakes in major AI companies such as Anthropic, Google, and Meta.

This proposal comes as the U.S. government has been applying pressure while expressing concerns over cybersecurity vulnerabilities in AI models and the rapid growth of Chinese open-source models. The Trump administration has previously made equity investments in companies such as Intel, and has shown a favorable stance toward acquiring stakes in AI companies.