Musk pledges one SpaceX share to every child in America
Elon Musk said Monday he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the US next year, CNBC, CNN and The Verge reported. That would be worth about $10.5 billion, per CNBC. President Donald Trump said the shares would go through Trump Accounts.
Elon Musk said Monday that he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the US next year, CNBC, CNN and The Verge reported.
"Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America," Musk wrote on X, CNN reported. "This will be the first of many," he wrote, according to CNBC, CNN and The Verge. He gave few details on how the shares would be handed out or who would be eligible, CNBC and CNN reported.
The value depends on how many children are counted. There were 72 million children under 18 in the US as of July 2025, CNBC reported, citing census data, putting the giveaway at about $10.5 billion based on SpaceX's Friday closing price of $146.03. CNN cited roughly 73 million people under 18 and valued it at about $10.7 billion.
Later Monday, President Donald Trump announced that the shares would be given through Trump Accounts, The Verge reported. Musk had thanked Trump Accounts booster Brad Gerstner for "helping enable this," The Verge reported. The Treasury Department this month automatically signed up millions of children for Trump Accounts, a new federal savings and investment program, CNN reported.
Musk owns about 4.8 billion SpaceX shares, according to an August securities filing, CNBC reported. SpaceX began trading publicly in June after the biggest initial public offering in history, CNN reported.
Musk's pledge came after Anthropic announced on Sunday that it would commit at least 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund, CNBC and CNN reported. Musk replied to Anthropic, "I recommend giving the shares directly to the public," CNBC reported.
CNBC noted that Musk has a spotty record on philanthropic promises. In 2021, he offered $6 billion to the UN World Food Programme if it showed how the money would solve world hunger, and the agency posted a plan, but Musk did not donate, CNBC reported.
What we know: Musk pledged one SpaceX share per US child next year, and Trump said the shares would go through Trump Accounts.
What we don't: How eligibility and distribution will work, and the final value of the gift.
Where outlets agree CNBC, CNN and The Verge report that Musk pledged on Monday to give one SpaceX share to every US child next year.
Where they differ CNBC values the gift at about $10.5 billion based on 72 million children, while CNN puts it at about $10.7 billion based on roughly 73 million people under 18.