Musk Says He Will Give a SpaceX Share to Every U.S. Child in 2027

What Happened

Elon Musk said he plans to give one SpaceX share to every child in the United States in 2027, outlining a proposed stock giveaway that could reach tens of millions of young people.

“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many,” Musk wrote on X on Oct. 19.

Musk did not initially explain who would qualify, how ownership would be established for children, or how the shares would be transferred. SpaceX had not publicly detailed an implementation plan as of the announcement.

The population covered by Musk's wording would be substantial. Census figures cited by CNBC and Variety put the number of U.S. residents under 18 at about 72 million as of July 2025, while CBS News and CNN cited roughly 73 million children. At SpaceX's Friday closing price of $146.03 a share, a distribution of 72 million shares would be worth about $10.5 billion. Using a 73 million-child estimate, CNN calculated a value of roughly $10.7 billion.

The Big Picture

The proposal would represent an unusually large direct stock distribution by an individual corporate shareholder. SpaceX shares began trading publicly in June, according to multiple reports. The stock closed at $146.03 on the Friday before Musk's announcement, CNBC reported.

Reports differ on the size of Musk's SpaceX holdings. CNBC and Variety reported that he owns about 6.4 billion shares when unvested awards and options are included, representing a 48.4% beneficial stake. CBS News, citing FactSet, reported that Musk held a 10.5% stake when SpaceX went public, including 4.8 billion shares. TechCrunch separately reported that Musk owns about 849 million Class A common shares and more than 5.5 billion Class B supervoting shares.

Even under the estimates cited by CNBC and Variety, giving away roughly 72 million shares would account for a small portion of Musk's reported holdings. But the size of the proposed transfer, and its eventual effect on children who receive the shares, will depend on the rules attached to the distribution.

Background

Musk's announcement came after artificial intelligence company Anthropic said it would commit at least 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund. Anthropic said the fund could make major donations to nonprofits or direct distributions to specific populations.

Responding to Anthropic's announcement on X, Musk recommended giving shares “directly to the public.” In a later reply, he wrote, “This is what I will be doing,” before announcing the SpaceX proposal.

The promise also follows other planned contributions involving Trump Accounts, tax-advantaged investment accounts for children. The Verge reported that Musk thanked Trump Account supporter Brad Gerstner for “helping enable this,” suggesting the accounts could be used for the distribution.

What Happens Next

President Donald Trump later said Musk's SpaceX shares for children would be distributed through Trump Accounts, according to The Verge. The publication reported that Trump appeared to confirm the arrangement in a Truth Social post.

The White House said in October that 60 million Trump Accounts had been created automatically for children, and that more than 70 million accounts had been created overall, The Verge reported. Those figures do not by themselves establish that every child covered by Musk's pledge has an account or will receive a share.

A prior pledge provides some indication of how such donations might be structured. According to CNN, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and her husband pledged in July to donate one SpaceX share each to roughly 2 million children enrolled in Trump Accounts, with priority for lower-income children and children in Texas.

Musk has said his giveaway will be the first of many, but he has not publicly specified a timetable beyond next year or released further details about eligibility, account setup, restrictions on the shares, or the mechanics of transfer.