The Trump administration might take an equity stake in OpenAI
Key takeaways
- President Donald Trump said on Friday that he’s spoken to AI companies about striking deals “where the American people can benefit from the success of AI.”
- CNBC said some of that equity could be used to seed a “Public Wealth Fund” recently proposed by Open AI.
- Bloomberg also reports that CEO Sam Altman has been discussing the idea of a government stake in major AI companies since early 2025.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he’s spoken to AI companies about striking deals “where the American people can benefit from the success of AI.”
Trump does not seem to have mentioned specific companies in his comments, but Open AI is a likely candidate, especially after CNBC reported that the Trump administration has indeed been discussing an equity stake with the AI company.
CNBC said some of that equity could be used to seed a “Public Wealth Fund” recently proposed by Open AI. As outlined by the company, proceeds from the fund “could be distributed directly to citizens, allowing more people to participate directly in the upside of AI-driven growth, regardless of their starting wealth or access to capital.”