Altman offers OpenAI 5% equity stake to hypothetical US sovereign wealth fund

Sam Altman has proposed donating 5% of OpenAI's equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, a move that would give the American public a direct financial stake in one of the world's most valuable AI companies.

The offer revives a conversation Altman began last year about creating a mechanism for ordinary citizens to share in the gains from artificial intelligence. A sovereign wealth fund—a state-owned investment vehicle common in resource-rich nations like Norway and Saudi Arabia—would hold the equity on behalf of taxpayers. If OpenAI's valuation continues to climb, the fund could eventually distribute returns or reinvest them in public priorities.

The U.S. does not currently operate a sovereign wealth fund, though proposals have surfaced sporadically in Congress. Altman's 5% pledge would be contingent on the fund's creation, and no legislative framework exists yet to accept or manage such a donation. OpenAI's last funding round in late 2024 valued the company north of $150 billion, meaning a 5% stake would be worth at least $7.5 billion at that valuation.

The proposal arrives as OpenAI navigates a complex restructuring from a capped-profit entity into a more traditional for-profit corporation. Critics have questioned whether the shift undermines the company's original nonprofit mission; offering equity to a public fund could be read as a gesture toward broader accountability, though the mechanics remain undefined.