The key facts

  • Musk promised in 2027 to give one SpaceX share to every child in the US — more than 70 million children

Musk's pledge

On Monday, October 19, Elon Musk said on the social network X that next year he would give one of his SpaceX shares to 'every child in America.' 'This will be the first of many,' he added. Musk did not explain how the distribution would be organized or what requirements would apply to recipients. According to TechCrunch, in a separate post he wrote that he wants to give the shares 'directly to the public.' Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

Cost estimate

According to the US Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2025 there were about 72.02 million residents under 18 in the country; euronews cites an estimate of roughly 73 million children. At SpaceX's Friday closing share price of $146.03, the giveaway is estimated at roughly $10.5–10.66 billion. The final amount will depend on the number of recipients and the share price at the time of transfer. Shares fell 1.74% over the Friday session. According to Anadolu, citing an SEC filing dated August 13, Musk owns about 4.77 billion SpaceX shares through trusts (about 849.5 million Class A shares and 3.92 billion Class B), and his total holding is 6.42 billion shares, or 48.4% of the company. TechCrunch cites similar figures, putting the Class B stake at more than 5.5 billion shares.

Context: Anthropic's announcement

The pledge came a day after Anthropic announced its intention to give 5% of its shares to a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund — a structure wholly owned by the company — subject to shareholder approval. The fund plans to make 'large donations to traditional nonprofits or direct payments to specific populations' after the upcoming IPO. On Sunday, Musk responded to Anthropic's post, recommending giving shares 'directly to the public,' and a few hours later announced his own plan. Anthropic, founded as a public benefit corporation, is preparing for an IPO as early as November: in June the company filed a confidential application with the SEC.

Additional context

Musk's and Anthropic's statements came amid American wariness about AI: according to an Associated Press-NORC poll, 64% of US residents believe AI is developing 'too fast,' 27% 'about right,' and 8% 'too slowly.' Last month, Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, Musk and other industry leaders called for slowing AI development. TechCrunch also notes that President Donald Trump created Treasury-based accounts for children (Trump Accounts) that can accept stock donations from wealthy donors; according to the outlet, Musk spent about $300 million on Trump's election. According to euronews, Musk became the largest known donor to the midterm elections, giving more than $276 million since July. SpaceX debuted on Wall Street in June, making Musk the world's first trillionaire, but shares have fallen 35.3% from their post-IPO peak. According to TechCrunch, citing a review by The Economist, a significant portion of Musk Foundation funds went to structures connected with Musk, including about 60% to The Foundation, run by his financial manager Jared Birchall.