Musk Pledges SpaceX Shares to 72 Million US Children

Elon Musk said he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year, a distribution that would hand roughly $10.5 billion in stock to approximately 72 million minors based on the aerospace company’s current valuation.

The pledge, posted on X without operational details, leaves unresolved how shares will be distributed, what age cutoffs apply, or when exactly in 2027 the transfers will occur. Musk called it “the first of many” such giveaways.

SpaceX trades at about $146 per share on secondary markets. The company remains private. An August filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed Musk held 6.42 billion shares as of June 30. That figure includes restricted stock, options exercisable into equity, and shares held in trusts where he serves as trustee. Distributing 72 million shares would consume slightly more than 1% of his recorded holdings.

The announcement followed a direct response to Anthropic. The artificial intelligence firm recently committed 5% of its equity to a public-good fund ahead of an initial public offering that could value the company above $1 trillion, according to reports. Anthropic later added that its board could allocate another 2% to the same vehicle. Musk replied on X: “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public. This is what I will be doing.”

Direct equity distributions to minors face regulatory hurdles. Private company shares typically carry transfer restrictions. Minors cannot legally hold brokerage accounts in their own names in the United States, requiring custodial structures under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act or similar state-level frameworks.

Federal policy has moved toward child asset-building through different mechanisms. Trump Accounts, established for U.S. citizens born between 2025 and 2028, provide a $1,000 government-funded deposit into tax-advantaged investment vehicles tracking domestic equities. Families and employers can contribute additional capital.

SpaceX chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell pledged more than $320 million of her personal stock to help fund Trump Accounts for over two million children.