# Musk pledges $10.5 billion in SpaceX shares to every American child

> The billionaire says he'll give one share to each of the 72 million U.S. kids under 18, worth $146.03 each at current prices.
- Title: Musk pledges $10.5 billion in SpaceX shares to every American…
- Summary: The billionaire says he'll give one share to each of the 72 million U.S. kids under 18, worth $146.03 each at current prices. Elon Musk says he will give one…
- Keywords: elon musk, spacex, stock giveaway, wealth distribution, artificial intelligence, universal income, Musk, pledges, billion, shares, every, American
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/10/19/billionaire-elon-musk-give-every-kid-in-america-shares-of-spacex-add-up-to-10-billion-in-stock
- Author: Emma Burleigh
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: elon musk, spacex, stock giveaway, wealth distribution, artificial intelligence, universal income
## Musk pledges SpaceX shares to all American children
Elon Musk said he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year. The giveaway would be the first of many, he wrote on X.

> Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.
## The numbers behind the ten point five billion dollar gift
America has roughly seventy two million children under eighteen. At SpaceX's closing stock price on Friday of one hundred forty six dollars and three cents per share, the total giveaway would be worth ten point…
## Musk's holdings would barely be dented
The fifty five year old billionaire is worth nine hundred four billion dollars and owns about four point eight billion SpaceX shares.
## Musk questions whether money will matter in the future
Musk believes artificial intelligence and robots will usher in an age of abundance where technology does most work.

> In fact, it's not clear to me that money will even matter in the future.
## Musk calls for government to distribute wealth directly
Musk has not pledged to back universal high income himself. Instead he believes the government should distribute money directly to Americans to handle unemployment caused by artificial intelligence.

> Universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by AI.
## Economist challenges Musk to put wealth where his mouth is
Nobel economist Daron Acemoglu called on Musk to donate his massive net worth within ten years. Musk responded that he is actually going to do something along these lines.

> I am actually going to do something along these lines.
## Key takeaway

Elon Musk says he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year, a giveaway worth ten point five billion dollars that would barely reduce his holdings.