Elon Musk said Monday that he plans to give one SpaceX share to every “kid in America” in 2027, adding that the distribution would be “the first of many.” The pledge is still short on the details that would determine who qualifies and how any transfer would work.
Axios reported that Musk did not define “kid,” say whether eligibility would be limited to U.S. citizens, or explain what he meant by future distributions. The Associated Press likewise said he provided no implementation details.
The pledge could be worth more than $10 billion
The scale depends on how Musk ultimately defines the recipients. Axios cited just over 72 million people under age 18 in the U.S., while the AP used an estimate of about 73 million.
At SpaceX’s Friday closing price of $146.03, giving one share to each person in that age group would put the market value between about $10.5 billion and $10.66 billion. That is an estimate based on the under-18 population and the current share price, not a confirmed cost or distribution total.
Musk’s announcement followed Anthropic’s plan to place 5% of its shares into a new public benefit fund. Responding to that news, Musk wrote that shares should be given directly to the public and later said that was what he planned to do.
Direct ownership draws praise and concern
The idea also follows another SpaceX stock pledge. In July, company COO Gwynne Shotwell said she would give one share to each of 2 million Trump accounts, according to Axios.
The proposal has already produced competing reactions. One X user praised Musk’s approach as direct ownership rather than a handout. Yahoo Finance’s Julie Hyman raised a different concern, arguing that giving children shares in a specific company can create conflicts of interest that a broad index-fund investment would not.
For now, the pledge remains a stated plan. Its reach and value will depend on the eligibility rules, distribution mechanism and SpaceX share price that apply when, or if, the transfers occur.
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