OpenAI has proposed handing the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, according to a report in the Financial Times, as the artificial intelligence startup seeks to defuse mounting political pressure in Washington.
A 5% holding would be worth roughly $42.6 billion, after the AI firm closed a record-breaking funding round in March at a post-money valuation of $852 billion.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial interest in the company is the best way to share the upside of AI.
It is not clear whether the administration intends to pursue the stake.
The proposed arrangement envisions other U.S. AI companies ceding similar stakes to the government.
The U.S. government holds a 10% stake in Intel Corp.
