Elon Musk has pledged to give every child in the United States a share in SpaceX next year, proposing a giveaway potentially worth $10.7 billion as artificial intelligence companies face growing pressure over their impact on society.
“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America,” he wrote on X on Monday. “This will be the first of many.”
The proposal would give roughly 73 million Americans under the age of 18 a direct stake in the aerospace and artificial intelligence company, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. However, Musk has not yet explained how the distribution would work or confirmed which children would qualify.
SpaceX giveaway could reach $10.7 billion
SpaceX began trading publicly in June, recording the largest initial public offering in history. Its shares traded at about $146 when the market closed on Friday.
At that price, distributing one share to every person under 18 in the country would put the potential value of Musk’s proposed giveaway at around $10.7 billion.
The plan still lacks practical details. Musk has not specified how eligible children would receive the shares, whether parents or guardians would manage them, or whether restrictions would apply to selling or transferring the stock.
The proposal could give millions of young Americans early access to the stock market. However, its final cost and reach will depend on the eligibility rules and the number of shares ultimately distributed.
Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
This will be the first of many.
Federal investment program already targets children
Giving children a financial stake in the market is already part of a separate U.S. initiative. Earlier this month, the Treasury Department automatically enrolled millions of people under 18 in Trump Accounts, a new federal savings and investment program.
Under the scheme, children born between the beginning of 2025 and the end of 2028 qualify for a one-time $1,000 government contribution.
The program aims to establish investment accounts for young Americans early in life. The tech mogul’s proposal would take a different approach by giving children company shares directly, although details of how his plan would operate remain unavailable.
Neither proposal has established how much individual recipients might ultimately gain, since investment values can rise or fall over time.
Musk responds to Anthropic’s $48 billion fund
Musk announced his plan after Anthropic revealed on Sunday that it would commit at least 5 percent of its shares to a new “Public Benefit Fund.” Based on the private company’s latest valuation, the commitment would be worth approximately $48 billion.
According to Anthropic’s website, the fund could make “large donations” to nonprofit organizations or provide “direct distributions to specific populations.” The company said the money could help address the effects of artificial intelligence on employment.
To which Musk responded, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public… This is what I will be doing.”
AI industry faces growing public scrutiny
The competing proposals arrive as technology companies face mounting criticism over AI safety, potential job losses and the environmental costs of expanding data center infrastructure.
Anthropic has itself warned of the “existential risk to humanity” posed by artificial intelligence, reflecting concerns about the technology’s longer-term consequences.
The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure has also raised questions about electricity demand and the resources required to operate large data centers.
Musk’s pledge and Anthropic’s fund offer different approaches to distributing corporate wealth amid these concerns. Whether SpaceX follows through on the proposed giveaway will depend on details that Musk has yet to disclose.