OpenAI is in early talks to give the US government a 5% stake in the company. Sam Altman pitched the idea to the Trump administration, and Trump’s on board. But Senator Bernie Sanders says that’s nowhere near enough.
The Financial Times broke the story. Sources say OpenAI has been talking to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Sanders himself. Other AI firms — Google and Meta among them — have also been approached about similar arrangements.
Altman’s argument: giving the public a financial stake in AI is the best way to share the upside. OpenAI floated the concept of an “AI wealth fund” earlier this spring, framed as a way for everyday Americans to benefit even if they’re not invested in markets.
Sanders isn’t buying it. He’s pushing a plan that would impose a 50% one-time tax on leading AI firms’ stock, raising an estimated $7 trillion. That money would go to direct payments or programs like healthcare, education, and housing.
“The public has got to have a significant seat at the table,” Sanders said.
His proposal includes an Independent Commission for Democratic AI with voting shares that could block harmful decisions. OpenAI’s 5% offer doesn’t come close to what Sanders envisions.
Congress would need to get involved to make any of this work. For now, it’s a negotiating dance — Altman offering just enough to look reasonable, Sanders demanding a lot more, and the administration caught in the middle.
