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Elon Musk Pledges to Distribute SpaceX Shares to Every Child in the U.S.
Key points
- Elon Musk pledged one SpaceX share to every U.S. child.
- Distribution is slated to begin in 2025 or 2027.
- The total value of shares could exceed $10 billion.
- The initiative follows Anthropic's public benefit fund announcement.
- Shares are expected to be distributed through Trump Accounts.
Musk's Share Distribution Pledge
Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, stated that he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the United States. The distribution is planned to commence in 2025, according to CNBC and The Verge, while TechCrunch indicates a 2027 start. Musk currently holds approximately 4.8 billion SpaceX shares, a figure that rises to 6.4 billion when including unvested awards and stock options, representing a 48.4% beneficial stake in the company.
Scale and Value of the Initiative
As of July 1, 2025, there are an estimated 72 million children under 18 in the U.S., based on official census data. This would result in Musk giving away shares valued at approximately $10.5 billion, calculated using SpaceX's closing stock price of $146.03 as of a recent Friday. This amount represents roughly 1% of Musk's estimated $1 trillion net worth.
Musk indicated on X that this share giveaway "will be the first of many," though he did not provide further details on the logistics of the distribution at the time of the announcement.
Context and Inspiration
Musk's announcement came shortly after Anthropic revealed its plan to commit 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund. This fund aims to make large donations to non-profits or direct distributions to specific populations after Anthropic's upcoming IPO. In response to Anthropic's post on X, Musk suggested giving shares "directly to the public" and stated that he would be doing the same.
Distribution Mechanism
The shares are expected to be distributed through Trump Accounts, which are tax-advantaged investment vehicles for American children. Musk acknowledged this mechanism by responding to a post from Brad Gerstner, who helped launch Trump Accounts, saying, "Thanks for helping enable this."
Other notable figures and companies have also utilized Trump Accounts for donations, including SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell, who plans to give shares to 2 million Trump Accounts, Dell's founder with a $6.25 billion contribution, and Micron with a $250 million investment.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Elon Musk announced plans to give one SpaceX share to each of the approximately 72 million children in the US, starting in 2025. This initiative, valued at around $10.5 billion, will utilize Trump Accounts, a tax-advantaged investment vehicle for children.
Elon Musk announced plans to give one SpaceX share to every child in America by 2027, a donation potentially valued over $10 billion. This pledge follows Anthropic's announcement of a public benefit fund and Musk's suggestion to donate directly to the public.
Elon Musk announced he will distribute one SpaceX share to every child in the U.S. in 2025. This initiative follows Anthropic's plan to commit 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund, prompting Musk's direct distribution proposal.