LOS ANGELES (Realist English). American billionaire Elon Musk has promised to give every child in the US one of his SpaceX shares in 2027. The corresponding post appeared on social media X on Monday, October 19.
What exactly was said
“Next year, I will give every kid in America one of my SpaceX shares. And this will only be the beginning,” Musk wrote. He did not specify how exactly the transfer of shares would be organized, who would be entitled to the shares, or what conditions would need to be met.
Scale
According to the US Census Bureau, about 72–73 million people under 18 live in the country. At a SpaceX share price of $146.03 at the close of trading on October 16, the total value of the gift will be approximately $10.5 billion. Musk owns about 38% of the company.
What stands behind the promise
The promise came a day after artificial intelligence developer Anthropic announced the creation of a public fund with 5% of its shares. Musk criticized this scheme, stating that shares should be distributed “directly to the public.”
In addition, the initiative echoes the “Trump Accounts” program, which provides investment accounts for children born in 2025–2028, with a federal contribution of $1,000. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has already transferred company shares worth more than $2 million for more than 2 million children under this program.
Musk’s promise is the largest transfer of private company shares to private individuals in history, if fulfilled. However, the lack of details makes it more a statement of intent than a concrete plan. The mechanism for transferring shares to minors, managing them until adulthood, and tax consequences — all of this remains unresolved.
More important is something else: this is not charity in the classical sense but a step in the competition for public attention with Anthropic. Musk, whose fortune exceeds $900 billion, uses SpaceX shares as an instrument of public policy — distributing them directly, bypassing funds and intermediaries.
For recipients, this may become a symbolic asset but is unlikely to change their financial situation in the short term. For Musk, it will reinforce the image of a figure who “shares” the results of technological progress.
