Trump administration – Senior U.S. officials have been in talks with AI companies, including OpenAI, about the government taking an equity stake. Discussions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly began in 2025, and a potential deal could involve OpenAI voluntarily offering equity to
By the time Sam Altman sat down with Washington policymakers to talk about AI regulation, the government’s involvement in AI business decisions was already in motion.
Senior U.S. officials have reportedly been discussing whether the Trump administration could take a stake in AI companies. and OpenAI is now at the center of those conversations. Discussions involving OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are said to date back to 2025. when Altman first proposed the idea. according to confirmation of the talks.
At this point, the shape of any agreement remains unclear. The discussions reportedly center on a potential arrangement in which OpenAI would voluntarily offer some equity to the U.S. government—an approach that could help the company pursue a goal similar to its proposed “Public Wealth Fund.” OpenAI introduced that fund idea in an industrial policy outline published in April. The proposal is described as one that would “provide every citizen with a stake in AI-driven economic growth.”.
Still, no official terms have been settled yet, including how large the government’s equity stake might be.
The stakes of this kind of relationship aren’t theoretical. The last time the U.S. government took a major position in a major tech company, it secured a 10 percent stake in Intel with a nearly $9 billion investment.
The equity talk is running alongside a separate move aimed at controlling how AI reaches the public. Earlier this week, the Trump administration signed an executive order that would give the U.S. government oversight of AI models before they are released to the public. That order came with the reality of industry pressure. and OpenAI responded by saying it would comply—allowing government regulators to review its latest models before the public gets access.
Altman’s recent meetings with policymakers show how quickly these threads are tightening together: equity conversations and release-time oversight are now unfolding in parallel, with the same question hovering over both—how much influence the government should have over AI as it scales.
OpenAI Sam Altman Trump administration AI regulation executive order Public Wealth Fund equity stake Intel 10 percent stake cybersecurity AI policy
So basically the government wants to own a piece of OpenAI? Great… next they’ll tell us what we’re allowed to think.
I don’t get it, they’re saying “voluntarily offer equity” but it’s still the feds basically setting the price. Also Intel got 10%?? That’s like proof they always go full takeover mode later.
Wait, I thought the executive order was about stopping AI from being released to the public? Like a ban? If they’re reviewing models first then doesn’t that slow everything down or make companies bow to Washington.
Public Wealth Fund sounds kinda nice but it also sounds like they’re gonna hand out “stakes” in AI like it’s a mutual fund. Meanwhile they can just take influence whenever they want since terms aren’t finalized yet. Also I saw something about cybersecurity too—are they gonna be scanning prompts now? Idk man, just seems sketchy.