Billionaire Elon Musk announced Monday that he intends to donate one share of SpaceX stock to every child in the United States next year, a pledge that could distribute more than $10 billion worth of equity across tens of millions of young Americans.
Musk, the world’s richest person, announced the proposal early Monday morning in a post on X, the social media platform he owns. “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America,” Musk wrote. “This will be the first of many.”
A multibillion-dollar transfer
With roughly 72 million children under the age of 18 in the U.S., according to federal data cited by Fortune and Variety, fulfilling the pledge would require distributing tens of millions of shares. SpaceX stock closed at $146.03 per share on Friday, putting the total value of the potential giveaway at just over $10.5 billion.
Musk holds vast equity in the aerospace firm, which went public in June and also incorporates satellite internet, artificial intelligence operations and X. Musk holds about 4.8 billion SpaceX shares, a figure that climbs to over 6.4 billion when including unvested awards and stock options, according to an August regulatory filing cited by Fortune. Distributing 72 million shares would reduce his personal stake in the company by approximately 1.5 percent.
Estimates of Musk’s overall fortune range from $904 billion to roughly $1 trillion across various tracking indices, meaning the multibillion-dollar transfer represents approximately 1 percent of his total wealth.
Spurred by an AI rival
The surprise declaration followed an exchange on Sunday involving artificial intelligence startup Anthropic. Ahead of its expected public market debut, Anthropic announced plans to commit at least 5 percent of its equity to a new public benefit fund, a limited liability company intended to support charitable efforts and direct public distributions, Gizmodo reported.
Musk replied critically to Anthropic’s announcement on X, stating, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.” A few hours later, Musk followed up with, “This is what I will be doing,” before unveiling his SpaceX proposal overnight.
The exchange comes as prominent technology figures face growing scrutiny over the societal impact of automation. An NBC survey published last month found that 70 percent of American adults feel more concerned than excited about artificial intelligence. Musk has previously argued that advancing robotics and AI will create an “age of abundance” where technological output renders traditional currency obsolete, suggesting in past posts that the federal government should eventually provide universal high income to offset automated unemployment.
Execution and next steps
Neither Musk nor SpaceX immediately provided operational specifics regarding how minors would receive or hold the private equity, Fortune and TechCrunch reported. Key legal details remain undefined, including whether eligibility extends to noncitizen residents, what age cutoffs will apply, and how custodial ownership would function for minors who cannot legally open standard brokerage accounts.
One potential mechanism could involve federal infrastructure already taking shape. Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury Department began enrolling millions of American children in Trump Accounts, a newly established savings and investment initiative providing a $1,000 initial government contribution. According to TechCrunch, those accounts are designed to accept private stock contributions from wealthy donors.
Musk has previously channeled most of his giving through the Musk Foundation, though reports show the vast majority of its past grants flowed to related entities. Whether Musk files formal corporate paperwork or partners with federal account programs to execute Monday’s pledge is expected to become clearer ahead of his stated 2027 rollout target.
