ChatGPT developer OpenAI said to discuss offering U.S. government a 5% stake: FT

Policy ChatGPT developer OpenAI said to discuss offering U.S. government a 5% stake: FT The proposal aims to give the American public a financial stake in AI while easing political scrutiny of the industry. By James Van Straten , AI Boost | Edited by Jamie Crawley Jul 2, 2026, 10:06 a.m. 1 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (Village Global/Flickr) Summary Show OpenAI discussed granting the U.S. government a 5% equity stake as part of a broader proposal to share AI generated wealth with the public, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The proposal is in its early stages, would likely require Congressional approval, and it is unclear whether other major AI companies would support a similar arrangement, the FT said. The San Francisco-based company confidentially filed draft IPO paperwork with the SEC in June, and recent reports suggest advisers are weighing a delay until 2027. OpenAI has explored the idea of granting the U.S. government a 5% equity stake as part of efforts to strengthen ties with the Trump administration and broaden public participation in the benefits of artificial intelligence, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The proposal, which remains in the conceptual stage, was reportedly raised by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during early discussions with U.S. officials, the FT said, citing two people familiar with the talks. The idea would see leading U.S. AI companies contribute similar shares of equity to a public investment vehicle, drawing inspiration from Alaska's Permanent Fund, which distributes returns from state investments to residents. The initiative is intended to address growing political scrutiny of the industry by giving the public a direct financial stake in the sector's long-term growth. Discussions reportedly involved senior Trump administration officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, although any such arrangement would likely require Congressional approval. It's unclear whether other companies with interests in AI, including Anthropic, Google (GOOG) and Meta (META), would support the proposal, the FT said. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, declined to comment to the FT. CoinDesk has reached out to OpenAI for further comment. The San Francisco-based company confidentially filed draft IPO paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in June. The company has since indicated it has not committed to a listing timeline. Recent reports suggest advisers are weighing a delay until 2027 . Artificial Intelligence AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards . For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy . Latest Crypto News 1 Live markets: Bitcoin holds above $60,000 as yen jumps on intervention fears 24 minutes ago 2 Metaplanet buys another $170 million of bitcoin expanding treasury to 43,000 BTC 1 hour ago 3 Taiko fully restores cross-chain bridge just 10 days after a $1.7 million hack 1 hour ago 4 Solana launches onchain governance and sets entry fee at 100,000 SOL staked 2 hours ago 5 XRP edges higher as whale activity rises while retail traders stay cautious 3 hours ago 6 Bitcoin's long-term holders have returned to accumulation 3 hours ago 7 FBI Director Kash Patel caught sleeping on required disclosure of six-figure MSTR investment: Report 4 hours ago 8 Ether, solana, dogecoin in the green after Warsh comments push bitcoin above $60,000 4 hours ago 9 Ethereum Institutional launch draws support from across the Ethereum ecosystem 12 hours ago 10 Robinhood rolls out public blockchain as it expands deeper into crypto 15 hours ago Latest Research Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold. By CoinDesk Research Jun 30, 2026 Commissioned by GenZcash Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold. Why it matters : Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold. View Full Report More From Policy FBI Director Kash Patel caught sleeping on required disclosure of six-figure MSTR investment: Report Ethereum Foundation lays out use cases for governments, institutions in new policy guide Goliath Ventures CEO pleads guilty in $400 million crypto Ponzi case