Sam Altman Proposes Trading $2 Million in OpenAI Tokens for Equity in YC Startups

Y Combinator has long nurtured early-stage Silicon Valley startups, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously served as YC president. The proposed arrangement would turn cloud computing resources into investment currency, helping founders reduce their initial AI development costs while giving OpenAI equity and an early foothold with potentially high-growth customers.

As of July 20, 2026, Altman had proposed giving each Y Combinator startup $2 million worth of OpenAI Tokens in exchange for equity. Startups could use the allocation to build and test AI products, while OpenAI would broaden adoption of its platform. The equity stake, eligible YC batches and formal launch date had not been disclosed.