Smart move. For less than 11 billion, he will have at least a generation of taxpayers on his side, with a positive view of SpaceX. Bezos better start talking about doing the same thing, otherwise, his company will be at a deficit.
72M children in the US.
72M shares is 1.5% of his current amount, totaling $10.5B, which is 1.16% of his wealth.
One share is worth $146. On average, it will be 9 years before these kids turn 18 and can touch the share.
In its first few months of public trading, SpaceX ranged from an intraday high of $225.64 in June to a low of $104.83 in August, before closing at $146.03 on October 16. So the future value could be substantially higher—or lower—than the value at the time of the gift.
This is Elon venturing into the ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’ territory where the super rich whitewash their public profiles. I assume he received information that the Democrats are about to wipe the floor with Republicans and his influence will nosedive. It also works as a bribe of sorts, tying the success of his companies to American children. Any politician that interferes with his God complex will be taking money from their pockets.
No he's not doing what Bill Gates did he disdains charity and sees it as stupid virtue-signaling empathy. It's really doing Elon a huge service here to make that comparison. This is to get public support for SpaceX.
Lot of negativity here around what should be a positive anecdote. Cool move, will likely inspire some kids towards engineering later in life.
Extremely sad to read to the responses here.
Currently one share is worth $146
Musk could give everyone in the USA $3000 and still have money left.
Or everyone in the world about the same price as one SpaceX share - $124.5.
Musk does not have $3000 x 300,000,000+ in cash laying around.
That is a common misconception about billionaires. His net worth is tied up in assets, and there are not enough buyers to buy every share at the highest offered price per share.
Maybe the tobacco companies can give out free cigarettes.
On a college campus in the late 1970s, yeah.
In the 70's, you could go to see a movie and get a free box of 5 cigs.
Not a Muskologist, but this feels like a good opportunity to talk to the kids about flamboyant public figures and grains of salt.
Which would benefit him personally. Guy doesn't know the meaning of the term "charity."
shit everyone hates me. quick, give them money.