Corporations already owe the government part of their earnings, via taxation. What does the government need, or want, with actual ownership of the company?
They can't sell it; the government isn't any good at managing stock portfolios. They don't have enough votes to matter in the direction of the company. If they do want to control the direction of the company, they should do so via a law regulating it, not as one voice on a large board.
If the government feels that the corporation isn't paying its share of taxation, they should pass laws to alter the tax rules -- for every company. Why should AI companies be special?
The US is getting a national windfall. During the dotcom boom, we used that to nudge the deficit to near zero, by taxing profits on capital gains. That's sufficient. We don't need a meaningless ownership stake, which grants us neither cash nor control.
Why?
Corporations already owe the government part of their earnings, via taxation. What does the government need, or want, with actual ownership of the company?
They can't sell it; the government isn't any good at managing stock portfolios. They don't have enough votes to matter in the direction of the company. If they do want to control the direction of the company, they should do so via a law regulating it, not as one voice on a large board.
If the government feels that the corporation isn't paying its share of taxation, they should pass laws to alter the tax rules -- for every company. Why should AI companies be special?
The US is getting a national windfall. During the dotcom boom, we used that to nudge the deficit to near zero, by taxing profits on capital gains. That's sufficient. We don't need a meaningless ownership stake, which grants us neither cash nor control.
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Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48759623