Elon Musk says he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the United States next year, a promise that would be worth about $10.5 billion at the company's current share price if carried out in full.
Musk announced the plan in a post on X early on Monday. "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America," he wrote, adding that it would be "the first of many".
SpaceX, the rocket and satellite company Musk founded in 2002, is not listed on a stock exchange and its shares are traded privately. They were valued at $146.03 on Friday. With about 72 million to 73 million children under 18 in the United States, one share each would amount to roughly $10.5 billion.
Musk, the world's richest person, has not explained how the giveaway would work. It is not clear which children would qualify, how stock in a private company would be transferred to them, or whether families would have to complete paperwork or pay tax. SpaceX is due to report quarterly results on Tuesday.
The pledge came a day after Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind Claude, said it would place 5% of its shares in a public benefit fund. Musk replied to Anthropic's post to suggest it give the shares "directly to the public", then said he would do the same.
The Trump administration has set up investment accounts for children, known as Trump Accounts, that can accept stock donations. It is not known whether Musk's plan would use that system. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell and her husband have previously pledged shares for more than 2 million children, according to reports.
Because SpaceX stock is closely held, the practical value to each child would depend on how and when the shares could be sold. Musk gave no timetable beyond 2027.


