Elon Musk pledged on 19 October to give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America in 2027, NBC News reported. The promise follows Anthropic’s 18 October announcement that it would commit 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund, the BBC reported.
Key points
- Musk says he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America in 2027.
- Anthropic says its proposed fund could address AI’s effects on employment.
- NBC News estimates Musk’s pledge at about $10.8 billion; UNN puts it at approximately $10.66 billion.
Musk proposes shares for children
Musk’s pledge followed his response to Anthropic’s fund announcement. “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public. This is what I will be doing,” he wrote on X, according to the BBC. His subsequent post promised one share per child and added: “This will be the first of many.”
That is a different approach from placing company shares in a fund that can choose how to distribute money. Musk is promising shares directly to children, while Anthropic describes a vehicle that could make donations or target particular groups.
The companies also have different connections to AI. Anthropic develops Claude, while SpaceX owns AI company xAI, the BBC reported. Musk’s promised distribution would involve his own SpaceX shares.
Two estimates of the SpaceX pledge
At an estimated value of about $150 for each SpaceX share, Musk’s promise would currently be worth about $10.8 billion for approximately 72 million US children under 18, according to NBC News. That figure values the proposed gift at current share prices, rather than describing a transfer that has taken place.
UNN estimates the promise at approximately $10.66 billion, using a population of about 73 million children under 18. NBC News uses approximately 72 million children and estimates about $10.8 billion.
The pledges arrive amid concern about AI’s effects on work. An Associated Press poll published in the week before 19 October found that 64% of US adults thought AI was developing too fast, while eight in ten wanted the government to prioritise protecting the workforce, NBC News reported.
Anthropic sets out a 5% fund
Anthropic’s proposal preceded Musk’s announcement. AI Affairs reported Anthropic’s plan to place 5% of its shares in a public benefit fund, which Anthropic says may support charities or pay particular groups affected by AI-driven changes to the labour market.
Anthropic has presented the fund as a way to respond to changes in employment. That leaves it with discretion over whom the fund helps, unlike Musk’s promise of one share for every child in America.
Anthropic says shares held in the fund will not be used for lobbying or political donations in the US or abroad. Its board also has discretion to allocate another 2% of the company’s shares to the fund, the BBC reported.
