Elon Musk Pledges a SpaceX Share to Every Kid in America, Days After Dario Amodei's Anthropic Donation

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has announced he will give every American kid a slice of his SpaceX shares. "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many," the tech billionaire wrote on X.

What Happened

Musk's post comes after Claude-maker Anthropic announced it would donate a portion of the company's shares to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new wholly owned entity dedicated entirely to the public benefit. The company, led by Dario Amodei, said that for every 50% increase in the company's value over a set baseline, it will contribute up to an extra 2%.

Responding to Anthropic's announcement on X, Musk wrote: "I recommend giving the shares directly to the public." In another post, he added: "This is what I will be doing."

Key Highlights

• Musk's net worth: An estimated $904 billion. As per an SEC filing in August, he owns about 4.8 billion SpaceX shares, a figure that rises to 6.4 billion when counting unvested awards and stock options.
• Who benefits: America's roughly 72 million children under the age of 18 would each get one share, currently worth $146.03 based on SpaceX's closing stock price on October 19.
• Total value: The giveaway would total approximately $10.5 billion worth of SpaceX stock.

Musk's Broader Views on AI and Income

Musk has previously predicted that AI will lead to an "era of abundance," where technology does most of the work, reducing the need for people to earn a living. He has also spoken about universal basic income on multiple occasions.

"My prediction is that there will be effectively universal high income," Musk said in an interview last month with China's state-owned Media Group. "In fact, it's not clear to me that money will even matter in the future."

Earlier this year, in April, Musk posted on X: "Universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by AI."

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Musk's pledge worth? Based on SpaceX's share price of $146.03 on October 19, giving one share to each of America's roughly 72 million children would total about $10.5 billion.

What triggered Musk's announcement? It came after Anthropic, led by CEO Dario Amodei, announced it would commit a portion of its shares to a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund.

Has Musk shared details on how the shares will be distributed? No further details have been provided on the mechanics of the giveaway.

Bottom Line

Within days of each other, two of the AI industry's most prominent figures made high-profile pledges to share financial upside with the public. Musk says this will be "the first of many" such moves, but has not yet detailed how the SpaceX share giveaway will actually work.

Source: Times of India. Information is accurate as of October 20, 2026.