US: Elon Musk has pledged to give one share of SpaceX to every child in the United States next year, following Anthropic’s announcement that it will allocate 5 percent of its shares to a new public benefit fund.
Responding to Anthropic’s announcement, Musk wrote on social media, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.” He added that his proposed distribution would be “the first of many,” without providing further details on how the pledge would be implemented.
With approximately 73 million children under the age of 18 in the US and SpaceX shares closing at $146.03 on Friday, the proposed distribution would represent a total value of approximately $10.66 billion at that share price.
Anthropic said that its shares would be allocated to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new entity within the company. The fund’s value could increase as the shares appreciate.
The announcements come amid growing public concern over the pace of artificial intelligence development. A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 64 percent of Americans believe AI is advancing too quickly, while 27 percent consider its pace appropriate and 8 percent believe it is progressing too slowly.
Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America.
This will be the first of many.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
Last month, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Musk and other prominent technology leaders noted that AI development needed to slow down. However, competition, commercial incentives and opposition from US President Donald Trump have complicated efforts to coordinate the industry’s approach.
Musk has also emerged as the largest known donor in this year’s US midterm elections, contributing more than $276 million since July to support Republican majorities in Congress.
Anthropic was established as a public benefit corporation by Amodei and five other co-founders. The structure allows for-profit companies to pursue financial objectives alongside social impact goals. The company is reportedly preparing for a potential initial public offering (IPO) as early as November. In June, Anthropic confirmed that it had confidentially filed for a proposed IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
SpaceX made its stock market debut in June, marking a major step in Musk’s business career. However, its shares have since declined 35.3 percent from their peak in the days following the IPO.
