Elon Musk Pledges SpaceX Shares to Every Child in America

Billionaire Elon Musk said Monday that he plans to give one SpaceX share to “every kid in America.”

Musk made the pledge one day after artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced on social media that it would allocate 5% of its shares to a new “public benefit” fund.

Responding to Anthropic’s Sunday announcement, Musk wrote: “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.”

SpaceX shares closed Friday at $146.03.

Anthropic said the shares would be transferred to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a newly created entity within the company. The fund’s value could rise as the shares appreciate.

CEO Dario Amodei and Anthropic’s five other cofounders formed the company as a public benefit corporation. The designation allows for-profit businesses to pursue financial objectives while also addressing social-impact goals.

Anthropic is preparing for a potentially massive initial public offering as early as November. The company said in June that it had confidentially filed a proposed IPO registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

That same month, Musk’s SpaceX began trading publicly on Wall Street, making him the world’s first trillionaire.