Musk says he will give every US child one SpaceX share next year
In short
Elon Musk said on X on 19 October that next year he will give every child in the US one share of his SpaceX stock, and called it a first step. Outlets put the value at roughly $10 billion to $10.6 billion for about 72 million children, but how the gift would be carried out has not been disclosed.
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Elon Musk said on X on 19 October that next year he will give every child in the US one share of his SpaceX stock. Quoting the post, Bloomberg, Nippon TV and Yomiuri report him as writing that he would give every child in America one share of his SpaceX stock, and as calling it a first step. Kyodo says the shares would be transferred in 2027 and that Musk described the gift as the first of many initiatives. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
Outlets gave differing estimates of the size of the gift. Bloomberg, citing US Census Bureau estimates, said there are about 72 million children in the US, which at the current price of $146 a share comes to about $10.5 billion (about 1.66 trillion yen). Kyodo, citing CNBC, gave the same dollar figure for children under 18. Yomiuri put it at about $10.6 billion (about 1.7 trillion yen) at the 19 October closing price. Nippon TV, citing the Wall Street Journal, said there are about 73 million children and the total is about $10 billion (about 1.6 trillion yen). A Sankei headline gives 1.58 trillion yen. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
How the gift would be carried out has not been disclosed. Bloomberg said Musk did not touch on details of the plan. Yomiuri and ITmedia say the Trump Account programme is expected to be used; ITmedia said Brad Gerstner of Altimeter Capital, a promoter of the programme, reposted Musk's post and mentioned the possibility of distribution through it, and that President Trump welcomed a gift through the programme on Truth Social. ITmedia describes the programme as a tax-advantaged investment account for US citizens under 18 that began operating in July, with a one-time federal deposit of $1,000 for children born from 2025 to 2028. Bloomberg added that SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said this year that she and her husband had given SpaceX shares through Trump Accounts to more than two million children. [ 1 , 4 , 8 , 9 ]
The post followed Anthropic's announcement on 18 October that it would put 5% of its shares into a fund for the public benefit, according to Bloomberg. Musk replied on Anthropic's X account that he recommended giving shares directly to the people. Bloomberg said Anthropic is preparing a major public listing. [ 1 , 9 ]
Kyodo noted that Musk has previously pledged large donations that were not carried out, so it is unclear whether this pledge will be fulfilled. Bloomberg said he has floated ideas that did not materialise and proposed plans he later said were jokes, and that he has pinned the post at the top of his X page. Bloomberg's index puts his net worth above $900 billion, and Yomiuri, citing Forbes, gave a similar figure. Kyodo reported that he holds at least about 4.8 billion SpaceX shares, and that he has given more than $276 million to Republican-aligned groups since July. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
Why it matters
If carried out, the gift would reach children across the US and would be worth about $10.5 billion by Bloomberg's and CNBC's figures. Outlets note that Musk has not given details and has failed to follow through on past pledges, so the outcome is uncertain.
Key facts
- Musk posted on X on 19 October that next year he will give every child in America one share of his SpaceX stock, adding that this is the first of such steps. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- About 72 million children are covered by US estimates cited by Bloomberg, CNBC and Yomiuri; at the current SpaceX price of $146 a share the gift would be about $10.5 billion (about 1.66 trillion yen). [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- Nippon TV, citing the Wall Street Journal, put the number of children under 18 at about 73 million and the total at about $10 billion (about 1.6 trillion yen). [ 5 , 6 ]
- Neither Musk nor the documents give a method or timing for the transfer; Yomiuri and ITmedia say the Trump Account programme is expected to be used. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- Anthropic announced on 18 October that it would put part of its shares into a fund for the public benefit, and Musk replied on X recommending that shares be given directly to the public. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 9 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Musk wrote on X on 19 October that next year he will give each child in the US one SpaceX share from his own holdings and described it as a first step. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- The documents say the specific method of the gift has not been made clear. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- Anthropic, which competes with Musk in AI, announced on 18 October that it would devote part of its shares to the public benefit. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 9 ]
- The Trump Account programme gives $1,000 to US children born from 2025 to 2028. [ 1 , 9 ]
Still unclear
- How and when the shares would be handed out. Bloomberg, Kyodo, Nippon TV and ITmedia all say details were not given; Yomiuri and ITmedia say the Trump Account is expected to be used, and a Sankei headline asks whether it will be.
- Whether the pledge will be carried out. Kyodo says Musk has made large donation pledges before without carrying them out; Bloomberg says he has floated plans that did not materialise or that he later called jokes.
- The total value of the gift. Figures differ: about $10.5 billion (Bloomberg, Kyodo, ITmedia), about $10.6 billion at the 19 October close (Yomiuri), about $10 billion (Nippon TV, citing the Wall Street Journal); a Sankei headline gives 1.58 trillion yen.