Sanders wants the public to own half of OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI
The planned bill would tax large AI companies in stock, turning a redistribution idea into a fight over startup control.
By Ryan Merket · Published
Primary source: Sen. Bernie Sanders
Why it matters
Sanders' proposal is unlikely to be judged by its headline number alone. It reframes frontier AI as a public-ownership question, not just a safety, copyright or labor issue. Even as a negotiating marker, it tells founders and investors that the cap table itself is now in Washington's line of sight.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said he will introduce legislation that would require the largest AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI (@xai), to transfer 50% of their stock into a federal sovereign wealth fund, putting public ownership directly in conflict with the control that Sam Altman, Dario Amodei and Elon Musk (@elonmusk) have over the industry's most closely watched labs.…