Trump Administration May Become Shareholder in OpenAI

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is negotiating deals with artificial intelligence (AI) companies to ensure "the American people can benefit from AI success." Although Trump did not name specific companies, CNBC reported that the Trump administration is discussing a state stake in OpenAI. Techcrunch.com reports .

According to reports, this stake could be used to form a "Public Wealth Fund" proposed by OpenAI. Under the company's plan, fund revenues would be distributed directly to citizens, allowing people to benefit from AI growth regardless of their initial capital. Bloomberg noted that Trump supported this idea, emphasizing that the American people should become partners in these companies.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been discussing the idea of state ownership in major AI companies since early 2025. This aligns with Trump's interest in state equity in profitable firms. For instance, last year the US government purchased a 10% stake in Intel, the chipmaker facing financial difficulties.

This idea is generating interest on both sides of the political aisle. Senator Bernie Sanders proposed imposing a one-time 50% tax on companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI (part of SpaceX). According to Sanders, this tax should be paid in shares and ensure that the trillions of dollars generated by AI serve everyone.

However, the initiative is not without criticism. David Sacks, Trump's former advisor on AI and cryptocurrencies, warned that this idea could lead to excessive merging of corporations and the government. Former Microsoft employee Dare Obasanjo suggested on social media that these moves are laying the groundwork for a government bailout of OpenAI.