SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a striking announcement, saying he plans to give every child in the United States one of his shares in the space exploration company next year.
The proposal, announced on Monday, could put SpaceX shares in the hands of millions of young Americans, although details about eligibility and how the shares would be distributed remain unclear.
Musk, who became the world’s first trillionaire following SpaceX’s listing, announced on Monday that he would give every child in the United States one SpaceX share next year.
Musk made the announcement on X, writing, “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America.” However, he did not disclose how recipients would be identified, which class of shares would be distributed or how the shares would be legally transferred to minors.
In July, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and her husband reportedly pledged one SpaceX share each to Trump Accounts for more than two million children. The shares were valued at approximately $325 million at the time.
Recently, Anthropic announced that it was allocating 5% of its shares to a fund that would make donations to support the public good
In response to an Anthropic post on X about the fund on Sunday, Musk replied, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public,” adding that this was what he would be doing.
How much could Musk’s proposed giveaway be worth?
Musk currently owns about 4.8 billion SpaceX shares, according to an August SEC filing. That figure rises to 6.4 billion when unvested awards and stock options are included, representing a 48.4% beneficial stake in the company, CNBC reported.
There were 72 million children under the age of 18 in the US as of July 1, 2025, according to official Census Bureau data. Based on SpaceX’s closing share price of $146.03 on Friday, distributing one share to each child would amount to approximately $10.5 billion worth of shares, the report showed.
Following SpaceX’s IPO on June 12, Musk holds 82% of the company’s voting power, highlighting his control over the business. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, holds around a 6% stake in SpaceX, valued at approximately $94.1 billion.
Musk unveils redesigned Tesla Roadster with SpaceX technology
Last week, Tesla unveiled a redesigned Roadster featuring rocket-style thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX. Musk described it as a “flying” car equipped with thrusters during a livestreamed event at SpaceX’s facility on Thursday.
Musk revealed the new Roadster sports car during a launch event at a SpaceX test facility in Texas. The vehicle, designed to incorporate aerospace-inspired styling, features two seats and a Cybertruck-style steer-by-wire system. Tesla showed a video of the vehicle accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour in under one second.
The vehicle has been subject to numerous delays since it was first announced in 2017. The original Roadster, Tesla’s first product, was launched in 2008 and discontinued in 2012.
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