Technology · 2026-10-19 · Afternoon briefing

Musk pledges $10.7bn in SpaceX shares to every US child

Elon Musk pledged on Monday to give one of his personal SpaceX shares to every child in the United States next year. Based on Friday's closing price of $146.03 per share and an estimated 73 million children under 18, the giveaway is valued at approximately $10.7 billion. SpaceX is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

The announcement came a day after the artificial intelligence firm Anthropic said it would place 5% of its equity into a public benefit fund. Responding to that news, Musk recommended giving shares “directly to the public” before making his own commitment. He offered no details on how the distribution would work, but noted, “This will be the first of many.”

The pledge arrives as SpaceX shares have fallen 35.3% from their peak after the company's IPO. Musk has also quietly become the largest known donor in the US midterm elections, giving more than $276 million since July to help preserve Republican majorities in Congress.

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Musk pledges $10.7bn in SpaceX shares to every US child

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