Musk says he will give SpaceX shares to U.S. children in 2027

Musk’s promise on X

According to the New York Post, Elon Musk said early Monday that he plans to give one SpaceX share to every child in the United States next year. In his post on X, Musk said, “This will be the first of many,” suggesting the giveaway would not stop with one round. The Post said the post was viewed nearly 6 million times in a few hours.

Size of the potential giveaway

The article says Census data from July put the number of U.S. children under 18 at 72 million. On that basis, the Post estimated Musk’s pledge would amount to roughly $10.5 billion in SpaceX shares. The report also said SpaceX stock rose 1% on Monday to $147.52.

How the shares might be delivered

Musk did not spell out the mechanics of the plan, according to the Post. The article says it appeared he may intend to channel the donation through Trump Accounts, the White House’s new tax-advantaged investment accounts for children. It also notes that earlier this summer SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell pledged about $320 million for 2 million children, which would work out to about one $165 share for each child taking part in the program.

Program details and outside comments

The Post reported that nearly 70 million U.S. children are now enrolled in the program. It also said the White House announced earlier this month that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, Michael and Susan Dell, and Brad Gerstner have made what it described as “historic contributions” to the tax-free program. According to the article, only children born from January 2025 through the end of 2028 are eligible for the accounts.

Questions about value and timing

The article said investment consultant Kenin M. Spivak of SMI Group cautioned that the future value of a SpaceX share is impossible to know. He told The Post that if the shares matched the average Nasdaq return over the past five years of 12.4%, they could be worth about $1,205 in 18 years. The report adds that Musk’s comments came after he criticized Anthropic’s plan to reserve 5% of its shares for a public benefit fund and said on Sunday, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.” It also said Trump told CNBC in July that he expected Musk to contribute stock to the program, and that Musk’s foundation had about $14 billion in assets at the end of last year, according to The New York Times.