"Genius or corrupt"? Musk's promise of free SpaceX shares for American kids riles up the interwebs
"You people are stupid. You complain that he has too much money and should give it away. He says he will give some. Now you're angry because he is doing it.”
Elon Musk. Image by Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images
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- Musk said he will give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year.
- The pledge could cover 73 million children and total about $10.66 billion, based on recent share pricing.
- Musk shared no eligibility details, including whether recipients must be US citizens.
- The promise drew praise, jokes, and criticism from X users who questioned his motives.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
In the wee hours of Monday morning, Elon Musk vowed to hand off one share of SpaceX to every child in America – and given the public's love/hate relationship with the tech billionaire – the reactions have been priceless.
"I’d rather suffer a slow starvation and limb amputations than accept a share of anything from your bitch ass,” said X user @NayteThaGreat, a self-taught apple neural engine dude.
The dig was just one of hundreds tacked onto Musk’s follow-up declaration to give away roughly 70 million shares of his rocketship company – the move itself triggered by Anthropic, which on Sunday announced the creation of a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund.
@elonmusk @AnthropicAI I’d rather suffer a slow starvation and limb amputations than accept a share of anything from your bitch ass.
undefined 𝐍ayte (@NayteThaGreat) October 19, 2026
The dig was just one of hundreds tacked onto Musk’s follow-up declaration to give away roughly 70 million shares of his rocketship company – the move itself triggered by Anthropic, which on Sunday announced the creation of a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund.
The Anthropic Fund will see the AI powerhouse donate roughly 20% of its shares to the “public good” – a term also raising eyebrows – starting off with a pledge of 5% that will raise incrementally based on the company’s value.
On top of that, Anthropic posted that its “co-founders have already pledged to donate 80% of their equity, and around half our employees are donating a portion of their equity as part of a donation matching program we’ve run since our founding.”
Musk makes it official, the interwebs react
Musk, known to survive on little sleep, must have been pondering the idea for hours – at 3:52 am ET the next morning, the founder and CEO of SpaceX announced his own philanthropic-inspired giveaway to the parents of the nation’s fledgling AI generation.
“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many,” Musk wrote to his 241.5 million X followers.
Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.
undefined Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
And although Musk did not provide any further details nor mention whether the children had to be US citizens, according to AP math:
With 73 million children under the age of 18 in the United States and SpaceX shares closing at $146.03 on Friday – Musk's total contribution could be around $10.66 billion.
“Thank you Elon for everything that you are doing to make the world a better place. From lifting people out of poverty, to helping the disabled, to helping Ukraine, to helping the elderly, to helping the environment, and more. You are a hero. You deserve the Nobel Peace Prize,” gushed one obvious Musk fan.
@elonmusk @AnthropicAI Thank you Elon for everything that you are doing to make the world a better place. From lifting people out of poverty, to helping the disabled, to helping Ukraine, to helping the elderly, to helping the environment, and more. You are a hero. You deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. ❤️ https://t.co/cFNU5vuT1H
undefined Adam Lowisz X Meetup 🇺🇸🇵🇱🇪🇺🇬🇧🇺🇦 (@AdamLowisz) October 19, 2026
“I identify as a kid in America,” commented another X user, apparently also looking for a handout from the world's richest man – with a Forbes-listed net worth of just under $1 trillion on a bad day.
On the flip side, the Musk naysayers had myriad reasons why the Tesla CEO was simply stroking his own ego, looking for a tax write-off, or just “trying to buy the people’s Goodwill.”
“Another populist move by the most corrupted billionaire,” one user posted, with another skeptical user playing it cool, “Someone is scared shitless. Your spacex shares won’t be worth shit next year.”
@elonmusk https://t.co/Jc5bnityPb
undefined Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) October 19, 2026
This user tied the early morning undertaking to political ideology. “The timing is interesting. Right before the midterms,” they said.
And finally, this user gave their stamp of approval – jumping 50 steps ahead into the next century, calling it “one of the most genius moves” they’ve ever seen.
“Bank wont make the transfer without ID. So only American Citizens is implied. Then the progressive parents will reject it. If Elon Musk does this, It will be the most accurate census in 50 years…”, they posted.
