Altman Meets US Officials on OpenAI Equity Talks Amid Sovereign Wealth Fund Plans
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is visiting Washington to meet with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, amid ongoing discussions about a proposed 5% equity stake for the US government in OpenAI. The talks have been building momentum since June 2026, when Altman first visited Washington to discuss AI policy following an executive order on voluntary safety reviews of AI systems.
The proposal would require Congressional approval and has been discussed directly with President Trump. Altman plans to brief both the administration and Congress on upcoming AI models and their societal implications during the week of July 22, 2026.
The broader vision reportedly involves creating a sovereign wealth fund model that could encompass additional US AI companies, marking a new category of government investment in the private tech sector. Both Bessent and Lutnick have prior associations with crypto-related topics, including discussions around centralized digital currencies.