OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met privately with Sen. Bernie Sanders to discuss Sanders’ plan for a 50% public ownership stake in AI companies, according to people familiar with the conversation. The report says Altman told Sanders he could not support the 50% threshold but wanted to collaborate on the broader concept of public equity in AI’s upside. The meeting reflects growing political convergence—Sanders on public ownership and the Trump administration signaling openness to a federal partnership or equity structure. This agenda is likely to intensify debates over how public policy should address AI-driven economic disruption, with lawmakers weighing ownership stakes, dividends, and safeguards as companies prepare for high-profile IPOs.