OpenAI has floated a proposal to hand the U.S. government a 5% ownership stake in the company, according to a Financial Times report published Thursday. The move comes as the artificial intelligence startup looks to cool mounting political pressure in Washington. The stake, valued at roughly $42.6 billion, is based on the company's post-money valuation of $852 billion following its record-breaking funding round in March.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial interest is the best way to share the benefits of AI, the FT reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions. Altman pitched the idea during early talks with the Trump administration. It remains unclear whether the administration will pursue the stake—the White House and OpenAI did not respond to CNBC's requests for comment. The proposal also envisions other U.S. AI companies ceding similar stakes, though rival labs' participation is uncertain.

The U.S. government already holds a 10% stake in Intel Corp after an $8.9 billion investment in the chipmaker's common stock. In May, President Donald Trump said he should have asked for a larger stake in Intel. By June, Trump described the idea of the U.S. taking ownership in AI giants as "a beautiful thing," adding it would make Americans "partners in this revolution." The OpenAI proposal, if pursued, would mark a significant shift in how the government engages with frontier AI companies.

Source: CNBC