Spending money to avoid disaster? OpenAI proposes donating 5% equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, and a senator calls for a '50% AI tax'.

AI Giants Trying to Buy Peace with Money? According to a report by TechCrunch today (2nd), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is actively lobbying for an unprecedented proposal: donating 5% of the company's equity to the U.S. sovereign wealth fund. This move aims to "ensure good relations with the government and mitigate political backlash," allowing the American public to directly share in the economic fruits of the AI era. However, politicians seem to have bigger appetites, with a senator already proposing a radical bill to "impose a 50% AI stock tax."

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Table of Contents

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• Altman Proposes Donating 5% Stake to Win Over Government and Public
• OpenAI's Long-Term Strategy: AI Dividends for All
• Moderates vs. Radicals: Polarized Attitudes in U.S. Politics on AI Taxation
• Congressional Approval Highly Difficult, Negotiations Still in Early Stages

As artificial intelligence technology increasingly impacts the global economy and employment structure, the political tug-of-war between AI giants and governments is heating up. According to TechCrunch citing sources from the Financial Times, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has put forward a highly controversial and forward-looking political PR strategy: proposing to donate 5% of OpenAI's equity to the U.S. sovereign wealth fund.

Altman Proposes Donating 5% Stake to Win Over Government and Public

The report indicates that the core purpose of this proposal is very clear: "to ensure a good relationship with the government and effectively mitigate the ensuing political backlash." Altman even hopes to use this as a catalyst to encourage other top AI companies to donate a similar proportion of equity to the nation.

This political speculation is not unfounded. As early as June 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed this discussion in an interview. Trump revealed at the time that both sides had discussed "giving some shares to the American public, making the American public partners in these tech companies." This report by the Financial Times is the first time the specific equity figure of 5% has been disclosed to the public.

OpenAI's Long-Term Strategy: AI Dividends for All

In fact, OpenAI's advocacy for a "public AI fund" has been brewing for some time. In April, OpenAI released a policy document titled Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age, detailing its vision for wealth redistribution.

The document proposes that the U.S. should establish a public wealth fund to directly invest in AI labs and companies deploying AI technology. OpenAI emphasizes in the document: "The returns from this fund could be directly distributed to citizens, allowing more people—regardless of their initial wealth or barriers to capital access—to directly participate in the huge gains driven by AI-powered growth."

Moderates vs. Radicals: Polarized Attitudes in U.S. Politics on AI Taxation

Although OpenAI has shown goodwill by offering 5% equity, extremely radical voices have emerged in the U.S. Congress regarding wealth redistribution from AI. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, a long-time advocate on wealth inequality, introduced a bill in June that shocked Silicon Valley:

| Proposer / Advocate | | --- | Core Content & Tax Rate | Applicable Entities & Impact | | --- | --- | --- | | OpenAI (Sam Altman's Proposal) | Voluntary donation of 5% equity | Proactively ally with the government, invite other AI companies to voluntarily follow suit, reduce regulatory hostility. | | Senator Bernie Sanders American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act | Mandatory 50% stock tax | Targets "systemically important" AI companies (including infrastructure and robotics). If giants like Google have AI as only part of their business, they must spin off to avoid the tax. |

Congressional Approval Highly Difficult, Negotiations Still in Early Stages

TechCrunch notes in its report that both OpenAI's 5% donation proposal and Sanders' 50% stock tax bill (which has not yet entered committee review) are still in very preliminary stages of discussion. To establish a sovereign wealth fund and accept corporate equity under the existing U.S. legal and political system, any formal action would almost certainly require full congressional approval, making the entire negotiation process exceptionally lengthy and complex.

However, this development clearly marks the arrival of a new era: AI technology is no longer just a matter of commercial competition; it has risen to the strategic level of national wealth distribution and social contract reshaping. Whether Silicon Valley giants can successfully exchange "equity" for "room to survive" will be the biggest focus of global tech regulation in the coming years.