Musk Pledges a SpaceX Share for Every U.S. Child After Anthropic Fund Plan

Elon Musk said Monday that he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America next year. The pledge came a day after AI company Anthropic announced it would set aside part of its equity for a public benefit fund. Musk has not said how the giveaway would work, according to BBC News and Fox Business.

Axios estimated the gift would be worth a little over $10.5 billion at Friday's closing price of $146.03, though it also described it as a roughly $11 billion giveaway at current prices.

What Musk said and what is still unknown

Musk posted on X shortly before 4 a.m. ET, according to Axios. “This will be the first of many,” he wrote of the pledge. BBC News reported that SpaceX, which owns xAI, set the record for the biggest initial public offering in history in June, raising $85.7 billion.

Axios noted that Musk did not define what he means by “kid,” whether everyone under 18 or some other group. He also did not explain what “first of many” means. Fox Business and BBC News both reported that no details were given on how shares would be distributed.

According to Axios, the U.S. Census Bureau counts just over 72 million people under 18. Axios said Musk owns billions of SpaceX shares, so the gift would make only a small dent in his holdings. It also compared the figure to Michael Dell's gift to Trump accounts, calling the Musk pledge nearly double that record-breaking donation.

The Anthropic announcement that set it off

On Sunday, Anthropic said it was creating the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a wholly owned entity dedicated to the public benefit, according to a post the company made on X and quoted by Fox Business. The fund will start with 5% of the company's shares.

Anthropic said it can contribute up to an extra 2% for every 50% increase in the company's value over a set baseline, subject to board discretion. In total, it said, roughly 20% of its shares are committed to the public good. BBC News reported that none of the shares in the fund would be used for lobbying or political donations in the U.S. or overseas.

Anthropic also said its co-founders have pledged to donate 80% of their equity. It said around half its employees donate part of their equity through a matching program it has run since its founding.

Musk replied to the announcement by recommending that Anthropic give the shares directly to the public. “This is what I will be doing,” he added, according to Fox Business.

The wider backdrop for both pledges

BBC News reported that Anthropic is preparing for a possible stock market listing that could value it at more than $1 trillion. Last week, the company told prospective investors that its revenue rose 45% to $16.8 billion in the three months to the end of September.

BBC News said the pledges come as the AI industry faces intense scrutiny over safety and fears about the technology's effect on society and jobs. The outlet reported that companies around the world, mainly in tech, have cut thousands of jobs after investing in AI.

What this means for families and the public

For now, the practical effect on households is unclear. Musk gave no timeline beyond “next year,” no mechanism for delivery and no definition of who would qualify. It is also not known whether parents or guardians would need to take any steps to receive a share on a child's behalf.

The scale is clearer in the abstract. If every person under 18 received one share, the total value would be in the range of $10.5 billion to $11 billion at recent prices, per Axios. That is a market value, and SpaceX's share price could change before any distribution.

The Anthropic fund works differently. It is a corporate vehicle that will make donations for public benefit rather than hand shares to individuals, according to the company's description. Musk's comments suggest he prefers direct distribution, but he has not said whether he will do more than the children's share pledge.

Sources: BBC News, Fox Business, Axios