Donald Trump said the U.S. government might take equity stakes in leading AI companies, calling it a way to make them “revolution partners.” Meetings with OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI could happen as soon as this week at the White House. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that “all the big” AI leaders would come to Washington next week to discuss the idea. He added: “It almost becomes a partnership with the American public… The American people can benefit from AI’s success.”
Trump: AI Wealth Should Return to the Public
The Trump administration argues that AI-generated wealth should not stay solely in Silicon Valley shareholders’ pockets but flow back to U.S. citizens. This comes as several top AI firms prepare for IPOs this year. No official investment terms have been set, and details remain subject to change.
Altman’s ‘Public Wealth Fund’ Roadmap
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been pushing the idea of government stakes since early 2025. Sources say discussions have lasted over a year. In April, OpenAI published a policy paper formalizing the concept as a “Public Wealth Fund.” The document stated that fund returns could be “distributed directly to citizens, allowing more people—regardless of starting wealth or access to capital—to participate in the upside of AI-driven growth.” In essence, the government would hold OpenAI shares and distribute proceeds to Americans, similar to a sovereign wealth fund where the beneficiary is the individual, not the state.
Precedent and Controversy
This approach has precedents: last year the Trump administration took a 10% stake in Intel as part of a rescue package for the struggling chipmaker. Similar stakes were taken in IBM, quantum computing firms, and critical mineral companies. So investing in OpenAI would not be a radical break but an extension of existing policy—albeit with a much higher valuation and broader strategic implications.
Critics worry about losing AI independence. Former Microsoft employee Dare Obasanjo wrote on Bluesky: “They’re now paving the way for a government bailout of OpenAI.” The fear is that if OpenAI hits financial trouble, taxpayers would be on the hook. More fundamentally, when the state becomes a shareholder, decisions on research direction, model deployment, and data usage could shift subtly—not via orders, but through aligned interests.
Sanders’ Alternative: 50% Stock Tax
Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a one-time 50% stock tax on OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI. His logic differs from Trump’s but shares the goal: “giving the public a direct role in deciding this technology’s future” and ensuring the trillions generated by AI improve everyone’s lives. One uses government equity for public sharing; the other uses direct taxation. Different routes, same focal point: AI wealth distribution can no longer be avoided.