Elon Musk said Monday that he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the United States next year, a promise he made in a post on X without explaining how the giveaway would actually be carried out. Musk currently owns about 4.8 billion SpaceX shares, according to an August SEC filing, a figure that rises to 6.4 billion when unvested awards and stock options are included, representing a 48.4% beneficial stake in the company.
The numbers behind the pledge are large. There were 72 million children under 18 in the US as of July 1, 2025, according to census data. At SpaceX's closing price of $146.03 on Friday, that works out to roughly $10.5 billion worth of shares. "This will be the first of many," Musk wrote, with no further detail. CNBC said it had contacted SpaceX for comment.
Anthropic's public benefit fund, and Musk's reply
Musk's announcement followed Anthropic's plan to commit 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund, a move first reported on Sunday. Replying to Anthropic's post on X about the fund, Musk said he recommended giving shares directly to the public, and added that this is what he would do himself. He then followed up a day later with the SpaceX pledge.
Anthropic's fund, subject to shareholder approval, would immediately commit 5% of the company's shares, with the board able to add 2% more for every 50% increase in company value above a baseline that has not been disclosed. The fund is described as a way to explore large donations to traditional nonprofits or direct distributions to specific populations, and to study what Anthropic calls bolder approaches to AI's disruption of jobs. Anthropic has not said which valuation milestones would trigger the extra shares, how the fund will be governed, or who would receive payments. More details are expected in the coming months.
How Anthropic's fund is structured
The fund is set up as a wholly owned LLC subsidiary rather than a tax-exempt nonprofit, which Anthropic says gives it more flexibility in how money is handed out. The company has promised not to use the capital for lobbying or political donations in the US or abroad. Anthropic says that the fund, combined with the 80% of shares its co-founders pledged at the company's founding and an employee donation-matching program, puts about 20% of its equity toward the public good.
