Key Takeaways
- Anthropic's $48 billion pledge is about 4.8 times the $10 billion that Open The Magazine puts on Elon Musk's SpaceX share giveaway, and about 4.6 times Newsweek's $10.5 billion estimate.
- Both pledges are shares, so their dollar totals rest on valuations: Anthropic's on its last valuation and Musk's on the SpaceX share price.
- At SpaceX's $135 offering price, the roughly 72 million shares would be worth about $9.7 billion, and at the $150 opening price, about $10.8 billion.
Anthropic announced a $48 billion pledge: 5 per cent of its shares would go to a public benefit fund, based on its last valuation. Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder, said on October 19, 2026 that he would give one SpaceX share to every child in the United States, a giveaway that Open The Magazine puts at around $10 billion.
Anthropic $48 billion pledge and Musk SpaceX giveaway, by the numbers
Anthropic's pledge is 5 per cent of its shares. Open The Magazine says that, at the company's last valuation, the pledge amounts to $48 billion. Neither source gives Anthropic's valuation as a number. Working backward from those figures, $48 billion is 5 per cent of a company valued at about $960 billion.
Musk's giveaway is one SpaceX share for each child in America. Newsweek cited Census Bureau figures showing just over 72 million children under 18 in the United States on July 1, 2025. At the $146.03 closing price on Friday, October 16, 2026, those 72 million shares come to approximately $10.5 billion. Musk owns roughly 6.4 billion SpaceX shares, so the giveaway equals about 1.1 per cent of his holding.
Set side by side, the two pledges make a comparison that neither outlet printed. Dividing $48 billion by $10.5 billion gives about 4.6, and dividing it by $10 billion gives 4.8. Anthropic's pledge is therefore about 4.6 to 4.8 times the size of Musk's giveaway, depending on which estimate is used.
Valuations behind Anthropic's $48 billion and Musk's SpaceX share totals
A valuation is the total dollar value placed on a company. Anthropic's $48 billion depends on its last valuation, so a different valuation would produce a different total. Musk's figure depends on the SpaceX share price. Newsweek reported that SpaceX went public in June, when its shares opened at $150, and that the company was valued at about $1.77 trillion at its $135 initial public offering (IPO) price, the price set for the first sale of its shares to the public.
Both pledges are shares, so their totals depend on the price or valuation used to value them. At $10.5 billion, Musk's giveaway equals about 0.6 per cent of SpaceX's $1.77 trillion IPO valuation, while Anthropic's pledge is 5 per cent of its own shares. The same 72 million shares are worth about $9.7 billion at the $135 IPO price and about $10.8 billion at the $150 opening price, so the total moves with the price used.
Unanswered questions on Musk's SpaceX share giveaway and Trump Accounts
Musk did not immediately provide details on how the plan would work, according to Newsweek. It is not clear how the shares would be distributed or who would be eligible. Newsweek also reported that it is unclear whether the shares would go directly to children or into investment accounts, or whether recipients would face restrictions on selling them. The giveaway could also create tens of millions of new SpaceX shareholders.
Musk has not said whether the giveaway would use Trump Accounts, a government-backed investment savings scheme in which the federal government contributes $1,000 to eligible accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028. Michael Dell and his wife Susan pledged $6.25 billion to that initiative, and investor Ray Dalio and his wife Barbara pledged $75 million, according to Newsweek.
People Also Ask
How much is Anthropic's $48 billion pledge worth?
Anthropic's pledge is worth $48 billion at its last valuation, according to Open The Magazine. Five per cent of Anthropic's shares would go to a public benefit fund.
How much is Elon Musk's SpaceX share giveaway worth?
Newsweek estimated that Elon Musk's giveaway of one SpaceX share for each of just over 72 million American children would be worth approximately $10.5 billion at the $146.03 closing price on Friday, October 16, 2026. Open The Magazine put the giveaway at around $10 billion.
Is Anthropic's pledge 4.8 times Elon Musk's SpaceX giveaway?
Anthropic's $48 billion pledge is about 4.8 times the $10 billion that Open The Magazine gives for Elon Musk's SpaceX giveaway. Against Newsweek's $10.5 billion estimate, Anthropic's pledge is about 4.6 times as large.
When will Elon Musk's SpaceX share giveaway happen?
Newsweek reported on October 19, 2026 that Elon Musk planned to give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year. Elon Musk did not immediately provide details on how the SpaceX share giveaway would work, according to Newsweek.
Sources: Open The Magazine, Newsweek.