Musk says he will give one SpaceX share to each U.S. child next year

Musk's announcement

Independent Journal Review reports that Elon Musk said on Monday that he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year. The article says he made the announcement early Monday morning on his social media platform, X, and framed it as a gift to the next generation that would be worth more than $10 billion.

The source says the post was viewed nearly 6 million times within a few hours. Musk was quoted saying, “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America.” He also said the gesture “will be the first of many.”

Reported scale and valuation

The article says Musk did not explain how he plans to distribute the shares. It adds that the size of the promise is large by any measure. Independent Journal Review cites the New York Post as saying there are 72 million children in the United States under 18. Using Friday’s closing stock price of $146.03, the outlet says the giveaway would amount to about $10.5 billion.

The article also cites RedState, which said roughly 73 million U.S. residents are under 18. It says SpaceX became a public company in June through what it calls history’s largest initial public offering, and that the company is now valued at about $2 trillion.

Musk's preferred approach

Independent Journal Review says Musk has recently criticized an Anthropic plan to place shares into a fund rather than giving them directly to people. In that discussion on Sunday, Musk said, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.” He then said, “This is what I will be doing.”

The article says this is not the first SpaceX-related equity plan aimed at children. In July, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company intended to donate shares to investment accounts for low-income children. The source says that earlier plan would now be worth nearly $300 million.

Link to a White House program

The article says Musk’s announcement comes as the White House is promoting its Trump Accounts program, which is meant to give American children investment accounts that can grow over time. It says children born from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2028, are eligible for a one-time $1,000 federal contribution under that program.

Independent Journal Review says Musk’s private plan would run alongside that government effort, but it notes that he did not spell out the exact eligibility rules for his own giveaway. The article ends by saying the announcement was presented as a major promise for families, but it leaves the mechanics and qualifications unresolved.