Trump administration's former AI czar David Sacks opposes Sanders' bill for 50% government equity in AI companies, while Trump hints at a federal 'partnership' model that would distribute company dividends to Americans

On Friday, David Sacks posted on X that he opposes Sen. Bernie Sanders' bill establishing 50% government ownership in AI companies, calling it a 'stupidity tax,' while warning that nationalization would accelerate 'corporate-government fusion' already underway.

Sacks attributed the proposal's appeal to damage done by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who have withdrawn earlier warnings about massive job losses as they prepare for IPOs; he predicted that government control of AI could be weaponized to 'curate reality,' enforce ideological conformity, and surveil Americans in an 'Orwellian' manner.

President Trump told reporters on Friday he expects to meet with AI companies in the coming week to discuss a federal 'partnership' where the American public could become 'essentially a partner with the companies' through dividends, and senior U.S. officials have already had preliminary discussions with AI executives including Altman about the government acquiring shares.

Sanders wrote in a New York Times op-ed that his bill would allow the federal government to block decisions that could harm Americans and push for policies that help them, in addition to sharing financial gains through a sovereign wealth fund.