Price of Immunity: OpenAI Offers Trump Administration a 5% Stake in the Company

Lobbying in Silicon Valley is transcending traditional donations. On July 2, 2026, a massive political-economic leak occurred: the creator of ChatGPT, OpenAI, proposed handing over a 5% stake in its business to Donald Trump’s Administration.

This unprecedented move by Sam Altman is a classic play to buy regulatory immunity. OpenAI, whose annual expenses have blown past $34 billion, desperately needs protection ahead of its upcoming IPO. Amid the harsh blockades the White House applied to competitors (the Anthropic case), handing the state a share in equity transforms the US government from a regulator into a direct beneficiary of OpenAI’s commercial success. The integration of Big Tech and the state apparatus is reaching its absolute limit: super-corporations are attempting to institutionalize their influence by sharing AGI superprofits directly with political elites.

Source: OpenAI / Financial Times / Reuters