Elon Musk announced on Monday that he plans to give one share of his aerospace company, SpaceX, to every child in the United States next year, a pledge estimated to be worth approximately $10.5 billion.
"Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America," Musk wrote on his social media platform X.
"This will be the first of many," he added.
According to the latest estimates from the US Census Bureau, approximately 72 million children under the age of 18 live in the United States. Distributing one share to each child would therefore require Musk to transfer approximately 72 million SpaceX shares.
Based on SpaceX's closing stock price of $146.03 on Friday, October 16, the shares would have a combined market value of approximately $10.5 billion. The value of the proposed distribution could change depending on the company's share price when the transfers take place.
According to Business Insider, Musk currently owns approximately 4.77 billion SpaceX shares outright, excluding restricted shares and options, representing roughly 36% of the company's outstanding stock. The Times puts his total holdings at approximately 6.4 billion shares when additional equity interests are included.
The proposed distribution would account for approximately 1.5% of the shares Musk owns outright, leaving him with around 4.7 billion shares before accounting for any other changes to his holdings.
SpaceX, founded by Musk in 2002, went public in June 2026. The company develops and launches rockets and spacecraft, including the Falcon 9 and Starship, and operates the Starlink satellite internet network. Its market capitalization currently stands at approximately $2 trillion.
Musk, who also leads electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, is the world's richest person, with an estimated net worth exceeding $900 billion.
The announcement follows other initiatives aimed at providing American children with investments. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and her husband previously pledged SpaceX shares benefiting more than two million children, while Michael and Susan Dell recently committed $6.25 billion to investment accounts for approximately 25 million children.
The Trump administration has also introduced tax-advantaged investment accounts for children, including a $1,000 federal contribution for eligible children born between 2025 and 2028.
Musk's announcement came after artificial intelligence company Anthropic pledged to allocate 5% of its shares to a fund intended to benefit the public.
Musk has not yet specified how the shares will be distributed, the precise eligibility requirements, or whether the transfers will be made through the federally backed Trump Accounts program. He also did not indicate when during 2027 the distribution would begin.