Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, unveiled a provocative proposal at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference, suggesting the U.S. government take a 10% equity stake in every publicly traded company to ensure the benefits of artificial general intelligence (AGI) are broadly shared. The idea, he said, was sparked by former President Donald Trump’s decision to have the U.S. government acquire a 10% stake in Intel. “When Trump bought 10% of Intel, I wondered if it wasn’t a good idea,” Khosla said on stage. “Why not take 10% of every public corporation and put it into a national wealth pool for the people? That’s really interesting. Just take 10% of every public company.” The proposal represents a radical shift in how society might manage the economic upheaval expected from AGI. While universal basic income has been floated by AI leaders like Sam Altman through initiatives such as OpenResearch’s cash transfer studies, Khosla’s suggestion of direct government ownership in private industry is notably more aggressive and unprecedented among major investors. He acknowledged the idea would draw criticism but argued that extreme measures are necessary to preserve social stability amid the transformative impact of AI. “I’ll get critique for this idea,” he admitted. “But sharing the wealth of AI is a really, really big need to level the benefits to everybody.” Khosla warned that by 2035, the economy could become profoundly deflationary due to AI-driven productivity, making traditional economic models obsolete. “We won’t need to do it in 15 years, but we do have to take care of those people,” he said. He also emphasized that AI will displace many current jobs, particularly those involving repetitive or physically demanding labor. “Mounting a tire on an assembly line or working as a farmer—those aren’t jobs that humans should have,” Khosla stated. “That’s servitude to survival.” Still, he sees opportunity in the transition. For entrepreneurs, the AI era presents a chance to build startups that leverage AI across every profession—from accounting and medicine to chip design, auditing, marketing, and entertainment. Khosla’s vision underscores a growing consensus among tech leaders: the rise of AGI demands not just technological innovation, but fundamental rethinking of economic systems, ownership, and the future of work.