The US government wants a piece of the AI pie. President Donald Trump announced on June 5 that his administration is actively weighing the acquisition of equity stakes in leading artificial intelligence companies, a move that would mark one of the most direct government interventions in the tech sector in modern history.
Trump made the announcement aboard Air Force One, adding that a meeting with top AI executives could happen as soon as next week. The guest list reportedly includes leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle, and SpaceX.
From chips to chatbots: the Intel playbook
In August 2025, the US government converted CHIPS Act grants into roughly 433 million shares of Intel, representing approximately a 9.9% stake at an original price of $20.47 per share. By April 2026, the value of those shares had ballooned, contributing to a total gain of approximately $26.5 billion for the government.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman has been pitching this for over a year
