Musk Says He Will Give Every American Child a SpaceX Share Next Year

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Monday that he plans to give one of his company shares to every child in the United States next year. He did not explain how the giveaway would work. Using a closing price of $146.03 from Friday and census data showing 72 million Americans under 18 as of July 2025, the gift would be worth about $10.5 billion.

How Many SpaceX Shares Does Musk Own

An August SEC filing shows Musk holds about 4.8 billion SpaceX shares. That number rises to 6.4 billion once unvested awards and stock options are counted, which equals a 48.4% beneficial stake in the company.

Anthropic Public Benefit Fund and Musk Response

The announcement followed Anthropic’s plan to commit 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund. Subject to shareholder approval, the board could add another 2% for every 50% rise in company value above a baseline that has not been disclosed. The fund may back large donations, including to traditional nonprofits or direct payments to specific groups, and bolder efforts to study how AI affects jobs. Replying to Anthropic’s post on Sunday, Musk wrote that he recommends giving shares directly to the public, and said that is what he would do.

Musk Political Donations in the 2026 Midterms

Musk’s giving has mostly made headlines for politics lately. He has put more than $276 million into Republican groups since July, making him the biggest known donor of the 2026 midterm election. That includes $158 million sent to the Senate Leadership Fund in September through an affiliated Texas PAC backing Ken Paxton, in two payments of $75 million and $83 million, among the largest political donations ever.