Comment by selimthegrim

Also, good question - because as your rightfully pointed out, IME - deep down, I don't think dividends align with a net corporate benefit.

I should probably do the math, but excuse is I'm a VC - it just doesn't make sense from a long term perspective as I pitch to LPs about my thesis.

Ideally, a government or SDF holding is not a majority holding, but a controlling stake.

Generally, a SDF is expected to take decisions that help develop an ecosystem or market, and help act as a check against primarily profit-driven motives.

Assuming a stake is part of a well managed SDF similar to Temasek, Mubadala, or the Master Trust, then I'd tend to trust the decision being made.

That said, I also recognize that this administration is severely disorganized and amateur, so I wouldn't trust their choices. But, I do feel this sets a precedent to allow both the federal and state governments to build SDFs, especially in a post-Trump world.

For example, the CHIPS and IRA were able to be pushed thru by the Biden admin because of the trade norms the Trump 1 admin created and upended.