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Musk and Anthropic pledge public share giveaways
Confirmed
In Short: Tech giants Elon Musk and Anthropic have announced multi-billion-dollar equity giveaway pledges aimed at addressing public fears over AI safety and job displacement, according to Android Headlines.
Anthropic has committed 5% of its company shares to a new Public Benefit Fund, which could be worth between $75 billion and $100 billion, depending on the company's valuation.
Musk, in response to Anthropic's initiative, announced that starting next year, he plans to give one share of SpaceX stock to every child in America, potentially worth over $10 billion, based on SpaceX's current share price.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told prospective investors that the company's revenue surged by 45% to $16.8 billion in the three months to the end of September, positioning the firm for a massive initial public offering.
Musk's pledge, posted hours after Anthropic's announcement, would cost him roughly $10.5 billion, covering about 72 million American minors, according to Bloomberg, as reported by Startup Fortune.
The announcements come as AI companies face growing scrutiny over the technology’s effects on employment, the environment, and society, as noted by Americanbazaaronline.
Anthropic's fund will start with 5% of its shares and can contribute up to an extra 2% for every 50% increase in the company’s value over a set baseline, subject to the board's discretion.
Musk’s announcement comes in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s administration’s “Trump Accounts” initiative, which provides eligible children with investment accounts and a federal deposit up to $1,000 for those born between 2025 and 2028, according to The Indian Express.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and the company’s five other cofounders established Anthropic as a public benefit corporation, a designation that balances financial goals and social impact.
The push for legislative action comes in the wake of an essay published by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who cautioned that rapid development in the sector is outpacing current risk-mitigation frameworks.
Background
Tech giants Elon Musk and Anthropic have pledged billions in stock giveaways to address public concerns over AI safety and job displacement.
What's confirmed
- Anthropic kicked off the trend by committing 5% of its company shares to a brand-new Public Benefit Fund.
- Musk announced that starting next year, he plans to give one share of SpaceX stock to every child in America.
- Musk said on Monday that he would give one of his shares at his rocket company, which owns xAI, to every child in America next year.
- The offer arrived a day after artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced in a social media post that it will commit 5% of its shares to a new “public benefit” fund.
- The billionaire's announcement came after Anthropic said it would commit 5% of its shares to a fund that will make donations for the "public good".
- "We’re committing a portion of Anthropic’s shares to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new wholly owned entity dedicated entirely to the public benefit. It will start off with 5% of our shares. For every 50% increase in the company’s value over a set baseline, we can contribute up to an extra 2%, subject to our board’s discretion. In total, this means that roughly 20% of Anthropic’s shares are committed to the public good," Anthropic said in a Sunday post on X.
What's still developing
- Get the latest Android News in your inbox every day arrow_right Sign up to receive the latest Android News every weekday: Android Headlines / Tech News / Artificial Intelligence News / Anthropic and Elon Musk Try Giving Away Billions in Stock to Calm AI Safety Fears Anthropic and Elon Musk have announced multi-billion-dollar equity giveaway pledges aimed at addressing public fears over AI safety and job displacement.
- The company also wrote in a rule to add another 2% in equity every time its valuation jumps by 50%, while strictly prohibiting the fund from using shares for political lobbying.
- Anthropic prepares for a blockbuster stock market listing that could value the firm between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion.
- As Anthropic prepares a massive public benefit IPO and SpaceX targets direct share distributions for American children, tech giants are actively attempting to rebuild public trust during a period of rapid industry expansion.
- Elon Musk jumped into the conversation on social media, arguing that tech companies shouldn’t lock up equity in internal funds when they could hand shares straight to the public.
- Artificial intelligence companies are facing a real crisis of public trust, with everyday workers worrying about job losses and runaway technology.
- To soften that backlash ahead of massive Wall Street debuts, AI industry leaders like Anthropic and Elon Musk ‘s SpaceX are pivoting to an eye-catching tactic: giving away tens of billions of dollars in company stock directly to public benefit funds and everyday kids.
- The 27-year-old's former boss, Anthropic head Dario Amodei, had previously called for AI development to slow down - though some have questioned the motivations behind this.
- The pledge, made on X on Monday, October 19, 2026, comes just hours after AI rival Anthropic revealed its own plan to set aside 5% of its equity for a public benefit fund, positioning the two tech titans in an escalating contest over how to distribute the spoils of the AI and space booms.
- Elon Musk and AI giant Anthropic have announced plans for multibillion-dollar public giveaways, as Silicon Valley faces mounting scrutiny over AI’s impact on jobs and safety.
- Elon Musk and officials at AI giant Anthropic are pledging to give coveted shares in their companies to the general public as concerns about AI’s economic and societal impact continue to pile up.
- There was no alternative to developing AI, Anthropic boss Dario Amodei said The head of AI company Anthropic has called for the pace of development of artificial intelligence models to slow down and to be closely monitored.