Elon Musk says he will give one of his personal SpaceX shares to every child in the United States in 2027, announcing a potential giveaway worth more than $10.5 billion.

The billionaire outlined the pledge on X on October 19, although he has yet to explain how shares would reach recipients or who would qualify.

“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many,” he wrote.

The announcement followed a public exchange about how technology companies could distribute some of their value more widely.

How the giveaway could exceed $10.5 billion

The scale of Musk’s proposal depends on both the number of recipients and SpaceX’s share price.

US Census Bureau figures put the country’s population under 18 at approximately 72.1 million in July 2025. Using that number as a guide, distributing one share per child would represent a transfer worth more than $10.5 billion at the stock price cited alongside the announcement.

That figure is an estimate of the shares’ combined value, rather than a cash payment Musk has committed to distributing.

Musk holds approximately 6.42 billion SpaceX shares, representing a 48.4 per cent beneficial stake in the company. His post specifically referred to giving away shares from his own holding.

The exchange that preceded the pledge

Musk’s announcement came after Anthropic revealed plans to commit at least 5 per cent of its shares to a newly established Anthropic Public Benefit Fund.

The AI company said the fund would be able to make substantial donations to nonprofit organisations or distribute benefits directly to specific populations.

Responding on X, Musk advocated giving shares directly to the public and indicated that he intended to do so himself.

Several hours later, he published the proposal involving American children. The sequence placed his announcement within a wider discussion about ownership and who should benefit from the growth of major technology businesses.

SpaceX’s first months as a public company

SpaceX went public in June 2026, debuting at $150 per share.

The stock subsequently reached $225.64 during the week after its listing, before declining. At the time of the announcement, it was trading below its debut price.

Those movements matter to the proposed giveaway: one share represents a unit of ownership whose market value can change.

Distribution details remain unanswered

Musk has not outlined an application process, eligibility rules or the arrangements through which children would receive and hold the shares.

His reference to every child in America therefore remains broader than the operational details made public so far.

The next step is establishing how the pledge would work. Until those arrangements are announced, the proposal remains a statement of intent for 2027, with its potential reach measured in tens of millions of recipients.