OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says his company isn't asking for government guarantees or bailouts as it pours money into new data centers.
In a lengthy post on X, Altman made it clear that taxpayers shouldn't have to shoulder the risks of AI companies. If OpenAI makes a bad bet, he says, that's on them, not the public.
Instead, Altman wants the government to build its own AI infrastructure, like public data centers or a reserve of computing power, with all the benefits staying with public institutions. He says low-interest government loans could help fund these projects, but only if the payoff goes to the public.a das
The one exception is chips. OpenAI, like other tech companies, has joined federal efforts to boost American chip manufacturing, create jobs, and strengthen national security. But Altman says OpenAI hasn't asked for direct government guarantees, and any public funding should support the whole industry, not just one company.
OpenAI expects $20 billion in annual revenue by the end of the year
OpenAI plans to spend about $1.4 trillion over the next eight years. Altman says revenue should top $20 billion a year by the end of 2024, and could grow to "hundreds of billions" by 2030. Earlier projections put 2025 revenue at $13 billion, but Altman has already said the real numbers are "well more" than that. For comparison, OpenAI's 2023 revenue reportedly was $1.3 billion.
To hit these targets, OpenAI is expanding into enterprise tools, consumer devices, robotics, and selling access to computing power through its "AI Cloud."
Altman says OpenAI needs to invest at this scale to keep up with demand for computing power. He points out that the company is already holding back new features and models because capacity is limited, and he expects demand for AI to surge—especially in science and medicine—even though there's still no evidence that generative AI can deliver real scientific breakthroughs.
"Based on the trends we are seeing of how people are using AI and how much of it they would like to use, we believe the risk to OpenAI of not having enough computing power is more significant and more likely than the risk of having too much."
Sam Altman
Altman pushes back on the idea that OpenAI is indispensable or systemically important. If OpenAI collapses, he says, that's the free market in action—other players will fill the void. "But we of course could be wrong, and the market—not the government—will deal with it if we are."
The controversy over government intervention flared up after OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar was quoted discussing potential federal bailout money, a claim she promptly denied on LinkedIn. According to Altman, the whole episode was a misunderstanding and the real topic was public infrastructure, not a safety net for OpenAI. David Sacks, an AI advisor to Donald Trump, has also shot down the idea of state support if the "AI bubble" bursts.
