Tech billionaire, Elon Musk announced on Monday that he plans to distribute one share of his rocket company, SpaceX, to every child in the United States next year, a pledge that could total an estimated $10.5 billion.
In a post on X, the world’s richest man stated that the transfer would come directly from his personal holdings. “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America,” Musk posted, adding that the move would be tthe first of many.
Based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates, roughly 72 to 73 million children under the age of 18 reside in the United States. With SpaceX stock recently trading around $146 per share, a distribution across that entire demographic represents a cumulative valuation north of $10 billion.
For Musk, who holds billions of shares in the aerospace giant, giving away approximately 72 million shares amounts to just over one percent of his equity in the company.
The surprise declaration arrived hours after artificial intelligence lab Anthropic announced a plan to allocate five percent of its equity toward a public benefit foundation.
Replying to Anthropic’s proposal on X, Musk argued against intermediary foundations, stating that equity should instead be given directly to the public.
Despite the eye-catching pledge, Musk provided no details on how such a massive logistical effort would be carried out.
Neither Musk nor SpaceX representatives have clarified whether the distribution would leverage existing youth savings frameworks, such as federal custodial trust programs, or deploy an entirely separate infrastructure.
