Sam Altman and the White House are in active talks about a government stake in OpenAI. CNBC confirmed the discussions on Friday. They’ve been going on for over a year — Altman first pitched the idea to the Trump administration back in 2025.
How it would work
OpenAI could transfer equity to the US government to seed a so-called ‘Public Wealth Fund.’ The concept comes from a policy paper OpenAI published in April: a fund that invests in long-term assets and could distribute returns directly to American citizens.
Trump himself weighed in while aboard Air Force One: “There are concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner.”
The bigger picture
The Trump administration has already taken stakes in Intel, IBM, and other tech companies during the president’s second term. Senator Bernie Sanders even suggested the government should hold a 50 percent stake in AI providers like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Altman met with numerous lawmakers and officials in Washington this week. The conversations ran in parallel with the signing of the AI executive order and a new directive instructing federal agencies to accelerate AI adoption in national security.
What this means
This would be historic: a direct government stake in the world’s most valuable AI company. OpenAI is currently valued at over $850 billion and is preparing for an IPO. The exact structure of any deal is still open — but the direction is clear: AI is becoming a matter of national strategic interest.
Sources: CNBC, SiliconANGLE