Altman Proposes Giving 5% of OpenAI to US Wealth Fund
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- Sam Altman proposed donating 5% of OpenAI's equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, with other AI companies contributing similar stakes, the Financial Times reported Thursday citing two people familiar
- The stated purpose is to "secure good relations with the administration" and address political blowback, according to the FT's sources
- President Trump confirmed similar discussions in June, saying the American public could "essentially become a partner with the companies," though no specific equity size was given at the time
- OpenAI's April policy paper "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age" proposed a public wealth fund investing directly in AI labs, with returns distributed to citizens "regardless of their starting wealth or access to capital"
- The talks remain preliminary and would likely require congressional approval, per the FT
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the more aggressive "American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act" in June, calling for a one-time 50% tax on AI company stock deposited into a public fund
- Sanders' bill would cover "systemically important" AI companies including those in data centers, infrastructure, and robotics; Google and SpaceX could spin off non-AI divisions to avoid the tax — the bill has not advanced to committee
Why it matters: Altman explicitly framed the 5% donation as a move to "secure good relations with the administration" and counter political blowback — making it a voluntary concession rather than a compulsory tax. With Sanders' competing 50% bill stalled in committee, OpenAI's preemptive offer positions the company to define the terms of AI wealth-sharing before legislators impose something harsher.
