Sam Altman says he doesn't want the government to bail out OpenAI if it fails
The debate over Sarah Friar’s comments grew intense enough that Trump’s AI czar David Sacks joined the discussion. OpenAI executives have faced increasing scrutiny about how they will finance their $1.4 trillion in data center expansion and usage commitments accumulated this year.
CEO Sam Altman addressed the issue Thursday in a post on X, explaining that although OpenAI’s revenue is growing quickly, it currently stands at a $20 billion annual run rate. His statement came in response to remarks made earlier by CFO Sarah Friar, which she soon clarified.
Sarah Friar’s Remarks
Speaking at a Wall Street Journal event on Wednesday, Friar suggested that she wanted the U.S. government to help ensure the company’s infrastructure loans remain stable. A government guarantee, she noted, could lower borrowing costs and secure access to the most advanced computer chips.
“Backstop,” she said, referring to a government guarantee that would allow critical financing to go through.
She explained that government-backed loans typically receive more favorable terms since they carry lower risk for lenders. Friar also pointed out that when OpenAI uses older chips, costs are more manageable, but the company’s aim remains to run its top-tier models on the most powerful hardware available.
Funding Strategy
To sustain access to cutting-edge chips, Friar mentioned that OpenAI is building a broader funding network involving banks, private equity firms, and, ideally, support mechanisms from the government. When asked what kind of assistance she hoped for, she repeated her idea of “the backstop” — a guarantee that would make financing possible.
Author’s Summary
Sam Altman rejected the idea of a government bailout for OpenAI, clarifying that Sarah Friar’s call for a U.S. loan guarantee referred to financing stability, not taxpayer-funded rescue.