Who gets a share of AI wealth? Anthropic and Musk have different answers

Anthropic, the company that makes the Claude family of AI models, said on Sunday that it would put 5 per cent of its shares into a new Public Benefit Fund. Musk said on Monday that he would give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year.

These plans come as AI companies attract huge amounts of investment and grow their businesses. At the same time, more people are worried about how this technology could affect jobs, safety and society.

The two plans would work in different ways. Anthropic's fund could pay for charitable projects and might also make direct payments to certain groups of people. Musk has said that giving shares directly to people is a better way to help the public benefit from the future economy.

Anthropic's fund could be worth billions

Anthropic's planned fund could be worth tens of billions of dollars, depending on how much the company is worth.

The AI company is getting ready for a possible initial public offering (IPO), which is when a company first sells its shares to the public. This could value Anthropic at around $2 trillion. Reuters reported last week that some investors were also considering a lower value of about $1.5 trillion.

At these possible values, a 5 per cent share of the company would be worth between $75 billion and $100 billion. These are estimates based on how much the company might be worth. They are not money that Anthropic has already raised for the fund.

The company said the fund would be set up as a limited liability company fully owned by Anthropic. This structure would give it the freedom to support different projects that benefit the public. These could include large donations to non-profit organisations or direct payments to certain groups of people.

One possible focus is the job market. Anthropic has warned that AI could create enormous economic value but also change the job market and make life less stable for workers.

The company has already promised $200 million to study and deal with AI's effects on employment. It said the new fund could help it take further action as the technology develops.

Anthropic also plans to give the fund the option to receive more shares as the company grows. Its board could set aside another 2 per cent of the company's shares for the fund every time the company's value rises by 50 per cent above a starting value that has not yet been announced.

The company said the fund would not use its Anthropic shares to support lobbying or make political donations in the United States or other countries.

This new promise adds to earlier promises made by Anthropic's founders and employees. The co-founders had promised to donate 80 per cent of the shares they own. The company also has a programme that matches employees' share donations when workers pledge shares to donate.

Anthropic said that, when these promises are added together, about 20 per cent of its shares would be set aside for public-benefit purposes. This does not include any extra shares that the fund might receive in the future.

The company has not yet shared all the details about how the fund will be managed or what company value increases would allow it to receive more shares.

Musk plans to give SpaceX shares to children

Musk said on Monday that he would give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year. He described this as the first of several efforts of this kind.

US Census figures show that there are about 72 million children in the country. Based on this number, the planned share giveaway could be worth about $11 billion at current share prices.

Musk did not explain how the shares would be handed out, which children would qualify or whether the children would face any limits on selling their shares.

SpaceX also did not immediately explain whether the planned giveaway would be connected to Trump Accounts, a US government-backed investment programme for children.

The White House launched Trump Accounts to give eligible US citizens born between 2025 and 2028 a government-funded investment account containing $1,000. Families can add more money to these accounts as the children grow up.

The programme also allows companies and individuals to put money into the accounts. Dell, Visa, Micron and Delta Air Lines are among the companies that have promised extra funding or contributions for their employees' accounts.

US President Donald Trump welcomed Musk's announcement. On Truth Social, he thanked Musk for giving SpaceX shares to millions of American children through the programme.

Unlike a cash donation, the value of Musk's planned gift would change with SpaceX's share price. Children could benefit if the shares rise in value, but their shares could also lose value.

Musk has argued that owning shares directly would allow people to benefit when companies that are shaping the future economy grow.

Why AI companies are under pressure to share wealth

The announcements come as the rapid growth of AI creates new chances to make money but also raises concerns about its wider effects.

Businesses are using AI tools to get more work done and lower costs. Some companies, especially in the technology industry, have announced job cuts while saying that AI helps them work more efficiently.

Anthropic has also warned that advanced AI could create catastrophic dangers or even threaten humanity's existence. Its planned fund could support projects that deal with some of these concerns, including the effects of automation on workers.

The bigger question is whether the benefits created by AI will stay mainly with companies, founders and investors, or reach a much larger part of society.

Anthropic's plan would put some of its company ownership into a fund that can pay for projects that benefit the public. Musk's plan would give children a direct financial stake in SpaceX, meaning the value of their shares would depend on how well the company does in the future.

Neither plan has yet provided all the details needed to work out how much the public will eventually receive or how the benefits will be shared.

Anthropic still needs to explain how the fund will be managed and how its promises to provide more shares will work. Musk has not explained how his planned share giveaway would be carried out.