Elon Musk said Monday he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America next year, adding in a post on X that the pledge "will be the first of many."3,6,7
Musk's post, as quoted by NBC News, read: "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America." He did not provide further details on how the pledge would be carried out, and NBC News said he provided no additional information. Musk could not be reached for additional comment, NBC News reported.6,7
The New York Post's headline gave the timing as 2027 and said Musk "teases more to come." Other reports described the pledge as coming "next year" without citing a specific year.5,6,7
The reports differ on the value of the pledge. NBC News said one SpaceX share was currently valued at about $150 and that, with approximately 72 million children under 18 in the United States, the donation would be worth about $10.8 billion, less than 2% of Musk's current net worth. The Associated Press put the number of children at approximately 73 million and said SpaceX shares closed at $146.03 on Friday, which would put the value of the pledge at about $10.66 billion.6,7
Musk's pledge followed an announcement from Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company. In a Sunday social media post, Anthropic said it would commit 5% of its shares to a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund. In response to that post, Musk wrote, "I recommend giving the shares directly to the public," according to The Associated Press. NBC News said Musk told Anthropic it should give shares "directly to the public."6,7
In a statement, Anthropic officials said the fund could make charitable donations or direct money to "specific populations," and they described the fund's "versatility." The company said, "Given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed." Anthropic has been preparing for an initial public offering, which NBC News said analysts expect would value the company at more than $1 trillion.6,7
The announcements come amid public unease about artificial intelligence. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 64% of Americans think AI is developing "too fast," while 27% said its development has been "about right" and 8% said it is moving "too slow." NBC News cited a separate NBC News survey finding that 70% of Americans are more worried than excited about AI. NBC News also reported that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has predicted that 50% of all white-collar work could be eliminated by AI before the end of the decade.6,7
President Donald Trump praised Musk's announcement in social media posts on Monday. "A BIG THANK YOU to our legendary friend, @ElonMusk, for his incredible generosity in giving SpaceX Stock to millions of American children through TRUMP ACCOUNTS!" the president wrote. He added that the program was designed to "Bring[] together the GREAT PRIVATE SECTOR, Elon and so many more, to invest in our children."6
The Trump administration has seeded financial accounts for children born starting in 2025 with $1,000, NBC News reported. Other high-profile businesspeople have pledged additional amounts to the accounts, including SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell, who, along with her husband, planned to give money to 2 million children in low-income areas, especially in Texas.6
NBC News noted Musk's record of bold statements, citing his August 2018 announcement that he had "secured" funding to take Tesla private. NBC News reported that the transaction failed to materialize and cost Musk his chairmanship of Tesla. The Associated Press reported that Musk has become the biggest known donor in this year's midterm elections, giving more than $276 million since July to help Republicans keep their congressional majorities.6,7
SpaceX made its Wall Street debut as a publicly traded company in June, which The Associated Press reported made Musk the world's first trillionaire. Shares of SpaceX are down 35.3% since peaking days after the offering. Anthropic is planning an initial public offering as soon as November, and in June it said it had submitted a confidential filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.7
SpaceX is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, one day after Musk's post. The Associated Press reported that the company's shares would be a central factor in the value of any share giveaway, though Musk has not said how or when the first shares would be distributed.7
