Musk Pledges SpaceX Share for Every US Child After Anthropic Move

Elon Musk has pledged to give one share of SpaceX to every child in the United States in 2027, announcing the plan a day after artificial intelligence company Anthropic committed part of its equity to a new fund intended to support public-benefit initiatives.

Musk made the announcement in a post on X on Monday, October 19, saying the distribution would be “the first of many”. He did not explain how the shares would be transferred, specify an age limit for eligible children or clarify whether the offer would be restricted to US citizens or extend to all children living in the country.

The proposed giveaway could cover more than 72 million children under the age of 18, according to US Census Bureau figures cited by Axios. At SpaceX’s reported closing share price of $146.03 on Friday, distributing one share to each child would represent a total market value of approximately $10.5 billion. The figure is an estimate based on the number of potential recipients and the share price at the time, rather than a confirmed cost of the proposed distribution.

Musk’s announcement followed Anthropic’s decision, announced on Sunday, to commit 5% of its shares to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, subject to stockholder approval. The company said the fund could support charitable donations, direct distributions to particular groups and initiatives addressing the effects of artificial intelligence on employment.

Anthropic also said its board could allocate an additional 2% of the company’s shares to the fund for every 50% increase in its valuation above a baseline that has yet to be disclosed. The company plans to provide further details on the fund’s governance and operations in the coming months.

Musk had responded to Anthropic’s announcement on X by recommending that the company give shares directly to the public. He subsequently indicated that direct distribution was the approach he intended to pursue himself, before announcing the proposed giveaway to children. Musk leads xAI, which competes with Anthropic in the artificial intelligence market.

Anthropic’s initiative forms part of its wider effort to direct a portion of the wealth generated by AI towards public benefit. The company said that, when the new fund is combined with existing equity commitments from its co-founders and an employee donation-matching programme, roughly 20% of its shares would be dedicated to public-benefit purposes, excluding any future additions tied to valuation milestones. It has also committed $200 million to studying and addressing AI’s impact on the labour market.

Musk’s proposal would take a different approach by giving individual recipients a direct financial stake in a company rather than initially placing the shares under a fund intended to finance public-benefit activities. However, the practical implications remain uncertain because he has not disclosed how the recipients would be identified, how shares would be held for young children, or whether the proposed distribution would involve custodial accounts or other arrangements.

The announcement also comes amid growing debate over how the economic gains from advanced technology should be shared. Anthropic’s fund is designed to support a range of public-benefit projects, while Musk’s proposal would potentially place a financial asset in the hands of millions of children. Until the companies provide more detail on implementation, the value of these initiatives will depend not only on the equity committed but also on how the shares or their proceeds are ultimately made accessible to the intended beneficiaries.