Elon Musk and artificial intelligence company Anthropic have both announced plans to give away company shares. The pledges come as technology firms face growing pressure over the possible effects of AI on society.
Musk said on Monday that he would give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America next year. SpaceX is his rocket company, which also owns the AI firm xAI.
His announcement followed Anthropic’s pledge on Sunday to commit 5% of its shares to a new fund. The fund will make donations for the “public good.”
Musk Responds to Anthropic Plan
Musk shared the plan in a post on social media. “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many,” he wrote.
He had earlier replied to Anthropic’s fund announcement. “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public. This is what I will be doing,” Musk said.
SpaceX set the record for the biggest initial public offering in history in June. The company raised $85.7 billion when it listed.
Anthropic Sets Out Fund Rules
Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI assistant, said its board could add another 2% of the company’s shares to the Public Benefit Fund. That decision would be up to the board.
The company said none of the fund’s shares would be used for lobbying or political donations. This applies in the US and overseas.
Anthropic is preparing for a possible stock market listing. Such a listing could value the company at more than $1 trillion.
Last week, the firm told prospective investors that its revenue rose 45% to $16.8 billion in the three months to the end of September. Like other AI firms, it is trying to show it can make large profits while spending billions on technology and infrastructure.
The AI industry faces scrutiny over safety and its effect on jobs. Companies around the world, mainly tech firms, have cut thousands of jobs after investing in AI.
A 2024 study by the International Monetary Fund found that almost 40% of jobs worldwide will be affected by AI. In advanced economies, that figure could reach 60%.
In September, former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon told the BBC that people working on AI were “genuinely frightened” by how fast it is advancing. The 27-year-old resigned and posted a warning that went viral.
Anthropic head Dario Amodei has called for AI development to slow down. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Musk have both said they support his call for an industry-wide slowdown, regulation and independent monitoring.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump and the heads of major AI firms signed a “morally binding” document. It makes the companies responsible for the safety of their own technology.
Trump has repeatedly rejected laws to control AI development. He has since named director of national intelligence Jay Clayton to lead a new AI taskforce.
Details on how each American child would receive a SpaceX share have not been disclosed.
