Elon Musk said Monday he will give one share of SpaceX to “every kid in America” next year. The pledge came a day after AI company Anthropic said it would commit 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund.
Responding to Anthropic’s Sunday post, Musk wrote that he recommended giving the shares directly to the public. He did not say how the plan would work. He added that “This will be the first of many.”
Based on about 73 million children under 18 in the United States and SpaceX’s Friday closing price of $146.03, the pledge would be worth roughly $10.66 billion. SpaceX reports quarterly earnings Tuesday.
The announcements come as Americans grow uneasy about AI. An Associated Press-NORC poll found 64% of adults think AI is developing “too fast,” while 8% say it is moving too slowly. Last month, leaders including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman said AI development needs to slow down, though competition and pushback from President Donald Trump stand in the way of coordinated action.
Musk has also become the largest known donor in this year’s midterm elections, giving more than $276 million since July to support Republican congressional candidates. Anthropic plans an initial public offering as soon as November. SpaceX shares are down 35.3% from their peak after its June market debut.
