Elon Musk announced he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year, a pledge worth nearly $11 billion at current market value. The shares will be distributed through Trump Accounts, according to sources familiar with the plan.
“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America,” Musk said on X.
The announcement came hours after Anthropic, the AI company, pledged to give 5% of its shares to a philanthropic fund. That fund is controlled by Anthropic’s own leadership and has prioritized Effective Altruist causes, including groups that spend millions ensuring shrimp farms use stun guns to kill seafood more “humanely.”
The two moves put a stark choice in front of the tech industry: hand windfall profits to causes picked by company leadership, or give ordinary Americans direct ownership they control themselves.
What Trump Accounts Actually Do
Trump Accounts are currently limited to citizens under 18. Money deposited into them is invested in the stock market, where it can grow until the account holder turns 18. At that point, the funds can be used for college, a first home, starting a business, or left to keep growing.
Brad Gerstner, founder, chairman and CEO of Altimeter Capital and the architect of Trump Accounts, called Musk’s donation “the tip of the iceberg.” He estimates private contributions to Trump Accounts could reach $100 billion by the end of 2027, with Susan and Michael Dell, Ray Dalio, and Gwynne Shotwell among those already contributing.
Gerstner said he is working on legislation, which could come within months, to expand eligibility for Trump Accounts to anyone under 40 and to allow the money to be used for retirement, education or starting a business. The plan would also make funding permanent.
“Welfare checks do not compound, but ownership compounds. You don’t help people by creating more dependency.”
“It sucks to not even know how to get in the game… But with these accounts, everyone has a million dollars within their grasp. It makes sure every kid has a stake in the economy.”
Two Very Different Models
Anthropic’s plan involves nonprofit donations and possibly direct distributions, but the company itself will decide how much goes where and who qualifies. That structure mirrors a philanthropic system that moves enormous sums of money through NGOs that often spend as much on their own leaders and consultants as they do on actual results.
Notably, if Anthropic or any other company wanted to give shares directly to children or young adults, Trump Accounts are currently the only infrastructure built to do it. But some companies may shy away from being associated with a “Trump” account just weeks before a contentious midterm election.
There are legitimate questions about the relationship between private companies and a government-branded account program — including whether regulators might go easier on a company that has funneled billions into Trump Accounts. That concern deserves scrutiny.
But the core choice remains: give Americans direct ownership they control, or route billions through institutions that decide for them. As AI companies warn that automation could upend jobs, giving people an actual stake in the economy looks like the more honest answer than funding someone else’s pet causes.
