Trump Admin Explored Taking Equity Stakes in AI Companies
Senior officials weighed government ownership positions in major AI firms, with Commerce Secretary pushing a sovereign wealth fund model.
The Trump administration has been quietly exploring how the U.S. government could take equity stakes in major AI companies. Senior officials held discussions about structuring these potential ownership positions, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emerged as a key advocate for one particular approach: routing the investments through a sovereign wealth fund. That model would give the federal government direct financial upside in the AI boom rather than simply regulating it from the sidelines.
The discussions signal a dramatic shift in how Washington thinks about its relationship with the AI industry. Instead of just setting rules, the government would become a stakeholder — literally owning pieces of the companies building the technology.
Details on which companies were discussed or how far the plans advanced remain unclear. The sovereign wealth fund structure Lutnick favors would mirror approaches used by countries like Saudi Arabia and Norway.