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Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has pledged to give one share of his space exploration company, SpaceX, to every child in the United States next year, in a proposed giveaway that could be worth more than $10 billion.
Musk announced the plan in a post on social media platform X on Monday, October 19, 2026, saying the initiative would be the first of many such efforts.
“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many,” Musk wrote.
The announcement followed a decision by artificial intelligence company Anthropic to commit 5% of its shares to a newly established public benefit fund.
Responding to Anthropic’s announcement, Musk said he favoured distributing shares directly to the public rather than channelling them through a fund.
The proposed giveaway could benefit around 72–73 million children under the age of 18 in the US.
Based on SpaceX’s closing share price of $146.03 on Friday, the total value of distributing one share to each child would be approximately $10.5 billion.
The actual value would depend on the share price when the transfers take place.
However, Musk has not disclosed how the shares would be distributed, which children would qualify or whether the plan would be linked to the US government’s Trump Accounts investment programme for children.
SpaceX, which went public earlier this year, is involved in space transportation, satellite internet and artificial intelligence-related businesses. Musk holds a substantial stake in the company.
The pledge comes amid growing debate over the social and economic consequences of artificial intelligence, including its potential impact on employment and wealth distribution.
Anthropic’s proposed fund and Musk’s announcement represent different approaches to using corporate wealth for public benefit.
No implementation details have been confirmed yet, and the proposed share distribution remains a pledge rather than a completed programme.
