Openai proposes a 5% government stake — and critics fear a bailout trap
openai proposed giving the us government a 5% stake, worth $42b, to model a sovereign wealth fund. this could insulate labs from political backlash but risks taxpayer-funded bailouts.
openai has discussed giving the us government a 5% equity stake in the company, valued at roughly $42b based on current figures. ceo sam altman is pushing a model similar to the alaska permanent fund to distribute ai profits to citizens, negotiating with trump officials and senator bernie sanders. while proponents argue this shares the wealth from agi, skeptics view it as a strategy to mitigate political pressure over job displacement and cybersecurity. critics suggest government ownership increases the likelihood of taxpayers funding corporate rescues if financial forecasts fail.