On 19 October 2026, SpaceX founder Elon Musk made an unexpected statement on the social network X, promising to gift one of his shares in the space company to every child in the US next year.
According to demographers' estimates, about 72 million minors live in the United States. At SpaceX's current market valuation, the total cost of this initiative is approximately 10,7 billion dollars (about 9,5 billion euros). The billionaire himself called this decision merely the beginning of a large program, briefly noting: "This will be the first of many."
Despite the loud announcement, the entrepreneur has so far provided no details about the implementation mechanism. Financial and legal experts point to a number of serious obstacles that will have to be overcome:
- Company status: SpaceX remains a private company. Mass transfer of its shares to individuals requires complex coordination with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and may be restricted by internal charter documents.
- Minor recipients: Children cannot legally own securities directly. This will require the creation of tens of millions of custodial or trust accounts, which will entail enormous administrative costs.
- Tax consequences: The transfer of assets of such value may be regarded as a taxable gift, which will create financial and reporting obligations both for Musk himself and for the recipients' families.
At present, this statement remains a public promise without signed legal documents or an approved action plan. Analysts agree that bringing this idea to life will require not only large-scale organizational work but also, possibly, SpaceX first going public (IPO) or the creation of a special charitable fund.
The article was prepared on the basis of official statements and publications in business media (CNBC, Euronews, Yahoo Finance) as of 20 October 2026.
