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OpenAI and the Trump administration are negotiating a government stake in the AI startup
OpenAI and the Trump administration have been negotiating a government stake in the AI startup for over a year. CEO Sam Altman reportedly first floated the idea in 2025.
OpenAI could hand over shares to the government to build a "Public Wealth Fund" that would pay out directly to American citizens. No terms have been set yet. Trump said the public could "essentially become a partner," and that talks should move forward "in the very short, very near future," CNBC reports.
Private investors value OpenAI at more than $850 billion, and the company is preparing for an IPO. The Trump administration already holds stakes in Intel, IBM, and other tech firms.
Senator Bernie Sanders confirmed he's discussed the sovereign fund idea with Altman. Sanders plans to introduce the "American A.I. Sovereign Wealth Fund Act" soon, as he laid out in a New York Times op-ed. The bill would slap a one-time 50 percent tax on shares of the largest AI companies. The government would get voting rights and board seats. Returns would flow to citizens as direct payments.
Sanders argues that AI is built on humanity's collective knowledge, and the wealth it creates shouldn't only benefit a handful of tech billionaires. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have floated similar funds themselves.
For OpenAI, a close tie to the government right before its IPO would double as a political shield against future regulation. The Trump administration, meanwhile, could use the arrangement to grow its influence over a strategically important industry without going through Congress. It has signaled repeatedly that it wants a hand in shaping AI technology.
AI for everyone or bailout prep
The critical read on these talks is that the U.S. government could be walking into a dependency that echoes the 2008 financial crisis. Back then, companies deemed "too big to fail" got bailed out with public money because the government itself was too deeply entangled.
If the government holds stakes in AI companies, it would have a direct incentive as a shareholder to step in with taxpayer dollars when things go wrong. A government stake could repeat that "too big to fail" dynamic, this time with tech companies. OpenAI and Anthropic have fast-growing revenue and high usage, but both are still burning massive amounts of cash. How the technology evolves and whether it can actually turn a profit remain open questions.
This isn't a new concern. In late 2025, OpenAI's CFO Sarah Friar floated the idea of government rescue funds, then quickly walked it back. Altman himself stressed at the time that the government shouldn't provide guarantees or bail out companies. "The market, not the government, will deal with it" if OpenAI's bets are wrong, he said.