OpenAI discusses transferring 5% stake to US government — FT reports

OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has begun preliminary negotiations on transferring 5% of its stake to the US government. This was reported by the Financial Times on July 17, 2026, citing two sources familiar with the negotiations.

What is known about the negotiations

According to FT sources, the negotiations are at an early stage: the exact structure of the future stake — a direct equity stake, warrants, or another form of participation — has not yet been determined. OpenAI and representatives of the American authorities declined to comment.

• The discussion concerns a 5% stake in OpenAI's capital
• Negotiations are at a preliminary stage, final terms may change
• Source of information — Financial Times, citing two people familiar with the matter
• OpenAI — developer of ChatGPT, one of the largest players in the generative AI market

Why the government wants a stake in OpenAI

Direct state participation in the capital of strategically important technology companies is no longer news for the United States: the administration previously converted part of subsidies under the CHIPS Act into an equity stake in chip manufacturer Intel, receiving a stake of about 10%. OpenAI, whose valuation in the latest investment rounds is measured in hundreds of billions of dollars, is viewed by Washington as a company that largely determines the competitiveness of the United States in the race for AI leadership against China.

For OpenAI itself, such a deal could mean closer ties to state interests — from access to energy capacity for data centers to participation in defense and infrastructure projects — but at the same time additional political control over the company's business.

What this means

If negotiations result in a deal, OpenAI will become one of the first major private AI laboratories in which the American government directly participates in the capital — a precedent capable of setting a template for future relations between Washington and other leaders in the artificial intelligence market.