Sam Altman reportedly weighs U.S. stake proposal tied to AI rivals

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly considering a plan that would give the U.S. a 5% stake in the company if competing AI firms agree to a similar arrangement. The Financial Times reported that Altman discussed the idea with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The report says Altman’s broader goal is to make some portion of OpenAI publicly owned so the financial gains from AI can be shared more widely. He has also met with Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has argued for greater public ownership of major AI companies. Altman is said to want other major AI players, including Meta, Google, and Anthropic, to contribute 5% stakes as part of the same framework. The discussions come as OpenAI and Anthropic are both preparing for possible publicmarket moves, and as the White House continues to shape policy around artificial intelligence.