Musk pledges a share of his SpaceX company to 'every kid in America'

Billionaire Elon Musk said on Monday that he plans to give one share of his company SpaceX to “every kid in America” next year.

His offer came one day after the artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced on social media that it would put 5% of its shares into a new fund meant to benefit the public.

Replying to that post on Sunday, Musk wrote, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.”

SpaceX shares closed at $146.03 on Friday. The company is due to report its financial results for the three-month period on Tuesday.

Anthropic said on Sunday that the shares it plans to give will go to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new group within the company. The fund could become more valuable if the shares increase in price.

Musk did not explain how he plans to carry out his promise to give away shares. But he added in his post, “This will be the first of many.”

Musk and Anthropic made their announcements as more Americans express concern about artificial intelligence (AI). A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans, 64%, think AI is developing “too fast.” Another 27% said its development was “about right,” while only 8% said it was moving “too slow.”

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and the company’s five other cofounders set up Anthropic as a public benefit corporation. This is a type of for-profit company that aims to balance making money with helping society.

Anthropic is planning a large initial public offering, or IPO, as early as November. In June, the company said it had filed confidential paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its planned IPO. An IPO is when a company first offers its shares for public trading.

That same month, Musk’s SpaceX began trading on the stock market. This made Musk the world’s first trillionaire.