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Musk and Anthropic Pledge Billions in Stock Giveaways
· Confirmed
In Short: Tech giants Elon Musk and Anthropic have pledged billions in stock giveaways to address public fears over AI safety and job displacement.
Musk announced on social media that he would give one SpaceX share to every child in America next year, potentially worth over $10 billion based on SpaceX's current share price.
Meanwhile, Anthropic, the AI firm preparing for a massive public benefit IPO, committed 5% of its shares to a new Public Benefit Fund, representing a staggering $75 billion to $100 billion.
Musk's announcement came in response to Anthropic's public benefit initiative, where he recommended distributing shares directly to the public.
According to Android Headlines, Musk's pledge adds up to well over $10 billion, with SpaceX shares trading near $149 each and around 72 million children in the United States.
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.
Subject to stockholder approval, Anthropic plans to initially commit 5% of its shares to its new fund, with the possibility of contributing another 2% for every 50% increase in the company’s value above a predetermined baseline.
When combined with equity donation commitments already made by founders and employees, roughly 20% of Anthropic’s shares will be dedicated to public-benefit purposes.
Musk's pledge follows the Trump Accounts initiative, which provides eligible children with investment accounts and federal deposits.
The exact mechanics of how Musk will distribute the SpaceX shares have not yet been revealed.
Both companies are attempting to rebuild public trust during a period of rapid industry expansion and mounting scrutiny over AI’s impact on jobs and safety.
Musk's announcement was viewed millions of times within hours, a testament to the outsized attention that follows his every pronouncement.
The pledges by both companies are aimed at addressing public fears over AI safety and job displacement, with Musk and Anthropic positioning themselves as leaders in responsible tech development.
Background
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.
What's confirmed
- 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.
- 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.
- Anthropic’s announcement comes as the Claude developer prepares for a potential stock market listing that could value it at more than $1 trillion.
- However, Musk has not yet explained how the distribution would work or confirmed which children would qualify.
- At that price, distributing one share to every person under 18 in the country would put the potential value of Musk’s proposed giveaway at around $10.7 billion.
- Musk’s announcement follows Anthropic’s plan to commit at least 5% of its shares, valued at $48 billion, to a fund supporting social causes.
- Musk’s announcement comes in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump ’s administration’s “Trump Accounts” initiative, which essentially provides eligible children with investment accounts and a federal speed deposit up to $1,000 for those born between 2025 and 2028.
- Elon Musk has announced plans to give one of his personal SpaceX shares to every child in the United States next year, a staggering giveaway potentially worth more than $10.5 billion.
- Musk’s post said the gifts would begin “next year,” implying a 2027 timeline.
- This will be the first of many." It came after he responded to Anthropic's public fund pledge with: "I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.
What's still developing
- Anthropic prepares for a blockbuster stock market listing that could value the firm between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion.
- 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.
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- SpaceX, which is an American aerospace manufacturer and provider of space transportation, was founded by Musk in 2002 and operates Starlink satellite internet service and other space programmes.
- SpaceX COO and President Gwynne Shotwell has already pledged a personal donation of $320 million in SpaceX stock for more than 2 million children, Yahoo News reported.
- Anthropic is laying the ground for a potential blockbuster stock market listing that could value the firm at more than $1tn (£750bn).
- “Given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed”, Anthropic said, adding that it had already committed $200m to studying and addressing the technology’s impact on employment.
- According to a Business Insider report, if Musk goes ahead with the plan and distributes one share to every kid in the United States, it would cover approximately 72 million people.
- In September, a researcher who quit Anthropic said people working on the technology were "genuinely frightened" about the speed of its advancements and what it could mean for humanity.
- In common with other AI firms, it is seeking to position itself as being able to generate huge profits despite spending billions on developing the technology and building infrastructure to power its models.
- He signed the Giving Pledge in 2012, the commitment by the world’s richest people to give away half their fortunes.
- “This will be the first of many.” The proposal would give roughly 73 million Americans under the age of 18 a direct stake in the aerospace and artificial intelligence company, according to U.S.