President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he’s spoken to AI firms about putting offers “the place the American individuals can profit from the success of AI.”
Trump doesn’t appear to have talked about particular firms in his feedback, however OpenAI is a possible candidate, particularly after CNBC reported that the Trump administration has indeed been discussing an equity stake with the AI firm.
CNBC stated a few of that fairness may very well be used to seed a “Public Wealth Fund” recently proposed by OpenAI. As outlined by the corporate, proceeds from the fund “may very well be distributed on to residents, permitting extra individuals to take part straight within the upside of AI-driven progress, no matter their beginning wealth or entry to capital.”
Based on Bloomberg, when reporters on Air Pressure One asked Trump about the idea, he replied that he’s been speaking to AI executives about “ideas the place items may very well be given to the American public, the place the American public basically turns into a associate with the businesses.”
Bloomberg additionally stories that CEO Sam Altman has been discussing the concept of a authorities stake in main AI firms since early 2025.
This appears to align with Trump’s broader curiosity in authorities possession of for-profit firms — most notably, with the government taking a 10% stake in struggling chipmaker Intel final yr.
The thought has additionally discovered some traction on the left, with Senator Bernie Sanders this week proposing a one-time, 50% tax that firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI (which is part of SpaceX) would pay within the type of inventory.
With all of these companies doubtlessly going public this yr, Sanders argued this tax would “give the general public a direct position in figuring out the way forward for this know-how” and “assure that the trillions of {dollars} doubtlessly generated by A.I. are used to enhance the lives of all of us.”
David Sacks, an investor and podcaster who just lately stepped down from his role as Trump’s AI and crypto czar, posted that he can see why Sanders’ idea resonates, “together with with many on the appropriate,” however warned it could really “speed up the corporate-government fusion we’re already sliding towards.” (Sacks now co-chairs the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Know-how.)
Elsewhere on social media, former Microsoft worker Dare Obasanjo suggested, “The groundwork is already being laid for a authorities bailout of OpenAI.”
While you buy by way of hyperlinks in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t have an effect on our editorial independence.
