Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced plans to give every child in the United States one share in his aerospace company, SpaceX, next year, a move that could be worth approximately $10.7 billion (₦14.27 trillion) if implemented as proposed.

 

Musk disclosed the plan on Monday in a post on his social media platform, X, where he wrote: “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.”

 

The announcement has drawn attention because of the potential scale of the proposed giveaway, which could provide millions of American children with a direct financial stake in one of the world’s most valuable private companies.

 

SpaceX is reportedly valued at approximately $2 trillion, while its shares were said to have closed at around $146 on Friday. With about 73 million Americans under the age of 18, distributing one share to each child at that price would amount to approximately $10.7 billion.

 

However, Musk has not provided further details about how the distribution would be organised, when it would commence or the eligibility criteria for participating children.

 

Musk’s Plan Follows US Children’s Investment Initiative

The proposal comes amid growing efforts to improve the long-term financial security of young Americans through savings and investment programmes.

 

Recently, the US Treasury Department enrolled millions of children in the Trump Accounts programme, an initiative designed to help eligible children build financial assets from an early age.

 

Under the programme, eligible children born between 2025 and 2028 are entitled to a one-time government contribution of $1,000 to support their savings and investment accounts.

 

Unlike the government-backed initiative, Musk’s proposal would involve distributing shares in a private company, potentially exposing beneficiaries to changes in the company’s valuation and future financial performance.

 

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Musk Challenges Anthropic Over Public Benefit Fund

The SpaceX founder’s announcement also follows a recent decision by artificial intelligence company Anthropic to allocate at least five per cent of its shares to a Public Benefit Fund.

 

Based on the company’s latest private valuation, the proposed stake is estimated to be worth approximately $48 billion.

 

The fund is expected to support social causes through donations to non-profit organisations and direct payments to selected groups. Anthropic has also suggested that the initiative could help address economic challenges associated with artificial intelligence, including the potential displacement of workers.

 

Reacting to Anthropic’s proposal, Musk encouraged the company to distribute its shares directly to members of the public rather than channel them through a fund.

 

“This is what I will be doing,” he said, referring to his proposed plan to give SpaceX shares to American children.

 

Tech Giants Face Growing Scrutiny

The announcements come amid increasing scrutiny of major technology companies over artificial intelligence safety, the possibility of widespread job losses and the environmental impact of the massive data centres required to power advanced AI systems.

 

As companies continue to develop increasingly powerful technologies, questions have emerged about how the economic benefits of innovation can be shared more broadly across society.

 

If implemented, Musk’s proposal could give millions of American children an opportunity to benefit financially from SpaceX’s future growth.

 

For now, however, the plan remains an announcement without a detailed implementation framework. Musk is yet to clarify how the shares would be distributed, how beneficiaries would hold or manage them, or what safeguards would be put in place to ensure the giveaway reaches eligible children.