US Government May Receive 5% Equity in OpenAI Under Early Talks

OpenAI has held preliminary discussions with the Trump administration about granting the US government a 5% equity stake in the company, the Financial Times reported. The conversations took place as Washington moves to increase its oversight of artificial intelligence models developed by major technology firms.

The proposed arrangement would give the federal government a direct financial interest in one of the world's leading AI developers. OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT platform and the GPT series of large language models, has been expanding its corporate restructuring efforts and exploring new investment frameworks as it transitions away from its original nonprofit structure.

The talks are described as early-stage and no formal agreement has been announced. It remains unclear whether the equity offer would be tied to regulatory concessions, government contracts, or broader policy cooperation between OpenAI and federal agencies.

The reported discussions come at a time when the Trump administration has signaled a more active role for Washington in shaping the development and deployment of advanced AI systems. Federal oversight of AI models has become a growing priority, with policymakers examining questions of national security, data governance, and competitive positioning relative to foreign AI programs.

A 5% government stake in OpenAI would be a notable precedent in the US technology sector, where direct government equity ownership in private AI companies remains uncommon. OpenAI was most recently valued at $300 billion following a funding round in early 2025, meaning a 5% stake would represent a substantial nominal value.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously engaged with Trump administration officials on topics ranging from domestic AI infrastructure investment to international competitiveness. The company has also announced plans to spend $500 billion on AI infrastructure in the United States through the Stargate initiative, a joint venture with SoftBank and Oracle.

No official comment from OpenAI or the White House has been issued confirming or denying the reported equity discussions.