OpenAI Publishes AI Economic Policy Proposals
As governments worldwide grapple with the potential job displacement caused by artificial intelligence, OpenAI released a set of policy proposals outlining institutional adjustments needed to cushion the blow. The proposals serve as a wish list and a public statement, helping elected officials, investors, and the public understand how the $852 billion company views the transformation of labor and economy in the AI era.
The core idea is to redistribute the economic gains from AI more equitably while reducing dependence on traditional employment. OpenAI put forward four main initiatives covering taxation, wealth distribution, working conditions, and infrastructure.
The Four Policy Initiatives
Tax Reform and Robot Tax
OpenAI suggests shifting the tax burden from labor to capital. As AI-driven growth expands corporate profits and reduces reliance on labor income, the traditional tax base that funds Social Security, Medicaid, and housing assistance will be hollowed out. To address this, OpenAI proposes a robot tax: companies that replace human workers with AI should pay taxes equivalent to the payroll taxes that would have been paid on the replaced workers' wages, thereby filling the revenue gap.
Establishing National Public Wealth Funds
To ensure all citizens benefit from AI-driven growth, OpenAI recommends creating public wealth funds. These funds would accumulate capital through taxes on excessive corporate profits or resource usage, with investment returns distributed directly to citizens. This model, similar to Norway's sovereign wealth fund but focused on AI gains, prevents wealth from concentrating in the hands of a few tech giants.
Subsidized Four-Day Work Week Without Pay Cuts
On labor welfare, OpenAI proposes subsidizing a four-day work week with no reduction in pay, and encourages companies to increase retirement contributions, bear a larger share of healthcare costs, and subsidize childcare or elder care. Additionally, OpenAI advocates for "portable benefits"—benefits that workers can retain even when changing employers—thus increasing job flexibility.
Accelerating Grid and Infrastructure Expansion
AI's voracious energy needs require massive power generation. OpenAI proposes new public-private partnerships to fund and accelerate energy infrastructure through bonds, tax credits, or equity investments. This is not only to meet data center demands but also to ensure the sustainable material foundation for the AI economy.
New Yorker Exposé Reveals Internal Trust Issues Before Proposals
Just before the policy release, CEO Sam Altman faced a media storm. The New Yorker's investigative report revealed that in 2023, OpenAI co-founder and then-chief scientist Ilya Sutskever wrote an internal memo accusing Altman of deceit regarding safety protocols and other key operations. These trust issues led the board to fire Altman, concluding he had not been consistently truthful with the board. The firing sparked an internal crisis: employees threatened mass resignation, and heavyweight investors including Josh Kushner threatened to withhold operating funds unless Altman was reinstated.
The report highlighted a deep rift within OpenAI over governance and safety priorities. Former members like Sutskever and Dario Amodei (who later founded Anthropic) believed Altman prioritized growth and product expansion over the company's original safety-first mission.
OpenAI Stock Losing Favor in Secondary Markets; Investors Shift to Anthropic
Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, OpenAI shares are falling out of favor in secondary markets, with investors rapidly turning to its biggest rival, Anthropic. Ken Smythe, founder of Next Round Capital, revealed that several hedge funds and venture capital firms holding large OpenAI stakes have been selling recently, while increasing positions in Anthropic. Some investors are also growing cautious about OpenAI's soaring operational costs, as the company has committed to spending more than Anthropic on infrastructure in the coming years. Although OpenAI has a massive consumer base, it has made comparatively slow progress in winning high-margin enterprise clients; Anthropic, by contrast, holds an advantage in the more profitable enterprise market, making its growth trajectory appear clearer and stronger to investors.