OpenAI 'In Early Talks To Give 5% Stake To US Government'
14 114OpenAI is reportedly in early talks to give the U.S. government a 5% stake, potentially alongside similar contributions from other major AI companies. "Such a deal would help improve the industry's relations with the Trump administration and could help garner political support by sharing wealth generated by the AI boom with the public," reports The Guardian. From the report: [OpenAI CEO Sam Altman] and other OpenAI bosses have suggested that each of the biggest AI developers in the US should give 5% to their equity to an investment vehicle such as the Alaska Permanent Fund, a sovereign fund that invests US oil wealth into stocks and pays dividends to the state, the FT reported.
The talks are "conceptual" and in early stages, it said, and any deal could require an act of Congress to implement. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have previously suggested in policy papers that a public or sovereign wealth fund may be required in the future to distribute shares to the public. In April, OpenAI said that a "public wealth fund" could provide "every citizen -- including those not invested in financial markets -- with a stake in AI-driven economic growth." Further reading: Bernie Sanders Unveils $7 Trillion Plan To Give Americans Control of AI Industry
14 comments
Naked Graft (Score: 5, Interesting)
by crunchy_one ( 1047426 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @01:03PM (#66220058)
I used to think that graft this naked could never happen, especially at the Federal level. Guess I was wrong.
Re:Naked Graft (Score: 5, Insightful)
by xxdelxx ( 551872 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @01:17PM (#66220086)
There are South American banana republic dictators looking on in awe.
Re:But think of the socialism! (Score: 5, Informative)
by F.Ultra ( 1673484 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:19PM (#66220202)
Quite sure that the current admin is dreaming of all those children, naked on Epsteins island.
Re:Naked Graft (Score: 5, Informative)
by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:46PM (#66220242)
One is focused on keeping prices low while the other is focused on funneling money into his pocket.
Re:What a grift (Score: 5, Interesting)
by F.Ultra ( 1673484 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:22PM (#66220206)
note sure, the hope is probably that with a 5% stake the state will find the company to big to fail in the future and will bail them out once the hype is over
The government (Score: 5, Insightful)
by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @01:19PM (#66220096)
I pay taxes. Where is my cut?
Richard Nixon wondering why he resigned.... (Score: 5, Insightful)
by MikeDataLink ( 536925 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @01:33PM (#66220130)
Ole Nixon is down there in hell asking himself why the hell he resigned. In today's presidential administrations you have to resign if you're not corrupt enough.
Re:Richard Nixon wondering why he resigned.... (Score: 5, Informative)
by caseih ( 160668 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:00PM (#66220168)
In the last few weeks republican politicians and their supporters have publicly said Nixon shouldn't have resigned and was treated unfairly. Apparently what he did was totally fine by them. Vance in particular expressed sympathy for Nixon. Who's woke now? Surreal.
Re:Richard Nixon wondering why he resigned.... (Score: 5, Insightful)
by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:26PM (#66220212)
Nixon resigned because if he didn't he was going to be impeached and removed.
What Nixon really needed was a Republican Congress that was so servile and supplicant that they would just let Nixon off the hook and give him an attaboy. Says a lot about them that their predecessors had some sense of decorum of the office and some spinal rigidity. Now they are all just worms.
Re:Richard Nixon wondering why he resigned.... (Score: 5, Insightful)
by cmdr_klarg ( 629569 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:38PM (#66220226)
Ole Nixon is down there in hell asking himself why the hell he resigned. In today's presidential administrations you have to resign if you're not corrupt enough.
Nixon didn't have a cult following him, nor did he have a complicit Congress letting him get away with his BS, and he also didn't have a SCOTUS that wants to let him get away with more BS. SCOTUS at least isn't rubberstamping all his activities, but they're done so on far too many cases.
LOL! (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Sebby ( 238625 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @01:35PM (#66220134)
LOL! You sweet, naive child.
Not Capitalists (Score: 5, Insightful)
by gurps_npc ( 621217 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @01:59PM (#66220166)
The Republican Party has abandoned Capitalism for Plutocracy long ago.
They yell SOCIALISM every time someone objects to their plutocracy.
They have no idea what real capitalism is. Free Markets, not government control, and government providing necessary services for every case when capitalism cannot solve the problem.
Examples of capitalism not solving problems include:
Judicial services
Prison
Police
Military
Fire
Education
Roads
Utility
Safety regulations
and yes, HEALTHCARE
Re:Not Capitalists (Score: 5, Insightful)
by cmdr_klarg ( 629569 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:45PM (#66220238)
You're even more naive if you believe that nonsense. "bOtHsIdEs" is a dishonest argument that attempts to equate the rather "meh" Democrats with the democracy subverting dumpster fire of the modern Republican Party in an attempt to excuse the GOP of the abhorrent shit that they do. They are NOT the same.
Why do we want 5% of their debt? (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Fly Swatter ( 30498 ) on Thursday July 02, 2026 @02:00PM (#66220170)
Unless they pay a dividend - why would the taxpayer be interested? To take advantage of an appreciating stock you have to sell, then you don't have it anymore to appreciate...