OpenAI has discussed giving a 5% stake to the U.S. government, the Financial Times reported, in a proposal that would value the holding at about $43 billion based on the company's estimated $852 billion valuation. Chief executive Sam Altman has presented the idea to President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as a way to give Americans a direct share in gains from artificial intelligence and ease political pressure ahead of a planned IPO. The concept could extend beyond OpenAI, with Altman and other executives discussing a public vehicle into which leading U.S. AI developers would each contribute 5% of their equity, in a structure likened to the Alaska Permanent Fund. The wider list of companies discussed includes Anthropic, Alphabet through Google, Meta Platforms and other U.S. AI groups. The report also said OpenAI and Anthropic have faced U.S. reviews that slowed the rollout of new models, while some Republicans and Trump advisers want tighter rules for the sector. Altman has separately discussed AI ownership ideas with Senator Bernie Sanders, who has advocated for public ownership closer to 50% of major U.S. AI companies through a sovereign wealth fund.