OpenAI is in talks to transfer a 5% stake to the US government — Altman's initiative

OpenAI is in early negotiations to transfer 5% of the company's shares to the US government — Financial Times reported this on July 2, 2026, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the discussions.

Why is OpenAI doing this?

According to CEO Sam Altman, giving American society a direct financial stake in the company is the best way to distribute the benefits of artificial intelligence development. Key point: the initiative comes from the business itself, not from regulators.

Negotiations are unfolding against the backdrop of broad efforts by the AI industry to establish relations with the Trump administration. Following his return to power, major technology companies are systematically seeking ways to reduce political tension and ensure a predictable regulatory environment — in particular, through investment commitments and public statements supporting American chip manufacturing.

Altman has proposed a similar move to other participants in the AI market: according to FT, the idea is to create an industry precedent, rather than OpenAI acting unilaterally.

What does 5% of shares mean?

Five percent is a significant stake in a company that has been actively attracting private capital over the past two years. In October 2024, OpenAI closed a $6.6 billion round at a valuation of around $157 billion; by mid-2026, public valuations cited significantly higher figures. The exact value of the package for the government was not mentioned in FT's materials — negotiations are in early stages, terms are not yet determined.

Additional complexity arises from OpenAI's incomplete corporate restructuring: the company is transitioning from a nonprofit structure to a for-profit corporation. The outcome of this process will also determine what exact stake and in what legal sense the government will receive.

Key facts from available sources:

• The proposed package — 5% of OpenAI's shares
• Negotiations are in early stages, sources are anonymous
• Initiator — Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO
• Altman is proposing a similar move to other AI companies
• Context — industry efforts to smooth relations with the Trump administration

AI companies and White House policy

Relations between leading AI developers and the US government in 2025–2026 have become one of the industry's key storylines. The Trump administration is actively promoting American AI competitiveness — in particular, through executive orders concerning system safety and access to computing power.

In response, major technology companies are publicly demonstrating loyalty: they participate in government AI projects, announce investments in American infrastructure, and meet with officials. The transfer of a share to the government — should the deal materialize — would elevate this dialogue to a fundamentally new level: from declarations to direct financial state interest in the company's success.

"Giving

American society a financial stake in the company is the best way to share the benefits of AI," argues Altman, according to Financial Times sources.

What this means

If negotiations culminate in a deal, an unprecedented precedent will emerge: a leading private AI company voluntarily transfers a significant stake to the government not as part of nationalization or crisis assistance, but as a strategic political move. This could trigger a chain reaction throughout the industry and substantially alter the nature of the dialogue between the tech business and authorities in the USA.