Your kids may receive a free share of SpaceX if Elon Musk’s latest promise becomes reality. In a post on the social media network X, Musk claimed he would give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America in 2027.
Musk wrote, “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.” The post was then pinned to the top of his profile, with no further clarification about his plans. He has yet to explain how the system would work, whether there would be exceptions, or how it would be paid.
If Musk were to follow through on his claim today, it would personally cost him $10.5 billion at SpaceX’s current valuation. That’s around 1.1% of his current fortune, given Forbes’ estimate that Musk is worth $908.5 billion today.
There are 72 million children in the country, according to 2025 US Census Bureau data. SpaceX shares finished on Friday, Oct. 16, at around $146 each, but the value may fluctuate before Musk implements a system to distribute shares.
Musk made this announcement in response to Anthropic, which revealed plans to allocate 5% of its shares to what it calls a “public good” fund. Anthropic’s scheme comes as it explores a potential initial public offering (IPO), with estimates suggesting the firm may be worth over $1 trillion.
Musk responded on X, saying, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public” before following up with, “This is what I will be doing.” Seven hours later, Musk posted his intention to give away SpaceX shares.
Anthropic has announced few details of its Public Benefit Fund, but it promises to share more soon. It says it intends to use this money for “large” donations to nonprofits or for “direct distributions to specific populations.”
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It also notes that artificial intelligence is poised to impact the labor market and suggests it may be used to help workers facing “instability”. However, it has yet to explain how this system would benefit those who lose their jobs to AI systems.
Alongside the baseline 5% of its shares heading into the Public Benefit Fund, Anthropic also says it plans to contribute an additional 2% for every 50% increase in its value. It notes how the scheme is subject to its board’s discretion.
The blog post says, “It is common practice for tech companies to offer escalating compensation awards to their executives. We are instead directing that equity to the public benefit.”
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