Musk says he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America

Musk’s announcement

CoinCentral reports that Elon Musk said on Monday he plans to give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the United States next year. The post was made on X just before 4 a.m. ET. In the message, Musk wrote, “This will be the first of many.”

Estimated value of the pledge

The article says the U.S. Census Bureau puts the number of people under 18 in the country at just over 72 million, while other reports place it at about 73 million. Using SpaceX’s Friday closing price of $146.03, CoinCentral calculates that one share for each child would total a little over $10.5 billion. It adds that some reports estimate the total closer to $11 billion at current prices, which would be nearly twice the record gift Michael Dell made to fund Trump Accounts.

Unanswered questions about the plan

CoinCentral says Musk did not explain who he meant by “kid,” leaving it unclear whether the pledge would apply to everyone under 18 or to a smaller group. The article also says he gave no details on what “first of many” means, how the shares would be distributed, or when that would happen. It remains unclear whether the shares would be held in accounts for each child.

Related SpaceX giving and market reaction

The article says SpaceX is already involved in another child-focused giving effort. According to CoinCentral, COO Gwynne Shotwell has pledged more than $320 million in SpaceX stock for Trump Accounts, which the article describes as investment accounts for children in the U.S. It says Michael Dell previously made a record gift for those accounts, and Musk’s pledge would be much larger if completed in full.

CoinCentral also reports that SpaceX stock rose about 1% in premarket trading on Monday, reaching $147.49 before the market opened, up $1.46. The article says the stock had closed on Friday at $146.03, down $2.59. It also notes that Musk is SpaceX’s founder and CEO, and that the company has not provided any additional details beyond Musk’s post.