SpaceX, the rocket company owned by Elon Musk, and the artificial-intelligence firm Anthropic have each announced large-scale financial giveaways as pressure mounts on Big Tech over the societal effects of AI. Musk’s statement follows SpaceX’s record-setting initial public offering in June, which raised $85.7 billion, while Anthropic is preparing for a potential stock market listing that could value the company at more than $1 trillion.
Musk announced on Monday that he intends to give one SpaceX share to every child in the United States next year. In a social-media post he wrote, “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.” The mechanism for distributing the shares to millions of minors has not been explained, and no timeline beyond the next calendar year has been provided.
Anthropic disclosed that it will allocate five percent of its outstanding shares to a Public Benefit Fund designed to make donations for the public good. The company emphasized that none of the fund’s holdings will be used for lobbying or political contributions in the United States or abroad. Additionally, the Claude developer indicated that the board may add another two percent of the firm’s equity to the fund at its discretion.
In a recent investor briefing Anthropic reported a 45 percent surge in revenue, reaching $16.8 billion for the three-month period ending September. The firm highlighted its ability to generate substantial earnings despite spending billions on model development and the infrastructure required to power its AI systems. This financial momentum supports its ambition to pursue a blockbuster public listing while maintaining a focus on public-benefit initiatives.
The giveaways arrive as the AI sector faces heightened scrutiny over safety and employment effects. An International Monetary Fund study released in 2024 estimated that nearly 40 percent of global jobs could be impacted by AI, with the figure rising to about 60 percent in advanced economies. Companies worldwide have already cut thousands of positions after adopting AI, citing efficiency gains, while a former Anthropic researcher warned that rapid progress could pose existential risks.
In response to growing concerns, U.S. President Donald Trump and leaders of major AI firms signed a morally binding agreement that places responsibility for technology safety on the companies themselves. While Trump has repeatedly rejected legislative controls on AI, he appointed Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to head a new taskforce aimed at coordinating government outreach to consumers, businesses and religious groups. Both Musk and OpenAI chief Sam Altman have voiced support for Amodei’s call for industry-wide deceleration, regulation and independent monitoring.