OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly floating a proposal to hand the US government a 5% stake in the ChatGPT maker as the company looks to cement ties with the Trump administration and blunt mounting political pressure over the explosive rise of artificial intelligence.
Altman has argued that giving the public a financial stake in one of Silicon Valley’s most valuable AI companies would be the best way to share the economic benefits of the cutting-edge tech, the Financial Times reported.
The proposal carries an enormous potential price tag. Based on OpenAI’s most recent private valuation of about $852 billion following its March fundraising, a 5% stake would be worth roughly $42.6 billion.