OpenAI has proposed giving the United States government a 5% equity stake in the company in an extraordinary move, the Financial Times reports, representing what would be the largest voluntary equity transfer from a private tech company to the US government in history.
The stake, worth an estimated $15 billion at OpenAI's current $300 billion valuation, comes as the company races toward an IPO targeting $830 billion to $1 trillion. CNBC also confirmed the talks, tying them to Trump administration comments that public ownership in AI giants could make Americans partners in the boom.
OpenAI has reportedly suggested other US AI companies follow suit. Neither Anthropic nor Google has responded publicly to the idea. OpenAI filed a confidential S-1 on June 8, and the proposal converts the government from potential adversary directly into financial stakeholder with clear incentive to see the company succeed.
Analysis
The proposal is less charity than regulatory engineering. A 5% government stake before the IPO gives Washington a financial reason to smooth the path rather than block it. If Anthropic and Google stay out, OpenAI gains a unique asymmetric advantage: a regulator who owns shares in only one competitor. Whether Congress blesses the arrangement is another question entirely.
