Musk says he’s giving stocks to America’s children
Musk said Monday he would give every child in the United States one of his SpaceX shares next year.
With 72 million children under the age of 18 in the United States as of July 1, 2025, according to official census data, that would represent a stock selloff worth about $10.5 billion at today’s prices.
Musk, the world’s richest person with a net worth of more than $900 billion, said in an article on X that “this will be the first of many,” without providing further details. However, when it comes to delivering on his philanthropic promises, Musk has a spotty record.
—Ari Lévy
Starshield problems in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a news conference during the second day of the European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 16, 2026.
Dursun Aydemir | Anadolu | Getty Images
A military tier of Starlink, marketed as Starshield, has recently come under scrutiny as restrictions on the system in Ukraine have hampered the country’s ability to defend against Russia’s intensifying attacks.
Ukrainian officials said SpaceX and the Trump administration restricted Starshield without warning last week, causing Ukrainian military forces to lose control of drones traveling at more than 100 miles per hour because the craft relied on Starshield for connectivity at those speeds.
Musk said in an article on X that any changes to Starshield should be attributed to the US government and President Donald Trump, although Trump later denied ordering such restrictions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that restrictions remained in place over the weekend.
Investors, meanwhile, have poured capital into potential Starlink competitors, including Eutelsat.
—Lora Kolodny
An update on cloud computing revenues
After acquiring xAI in February with its data centers in and around Memphis, SpaceX entered into lucrative cloud computing deals, establishing a new revenue stream.
The deals with Google, Anthropic and Reflection AI, as well as an unnamed customer revealed by SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen at an event last month, potentially represent tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue for the company.
SpaceX is reportedly in talks to raise up to $40 billion to buy more Nvidia chips to support its AI ambitions.
Investors are looking for updates on this activity for SpaceX, which is looking to monetize its AI capability.
—Lora Kolodny
Speculation is growing around a possible Tesla-SpaceX merger
Ahead of the results, investors are invited to ask questions during the call. One entry that received many upvotes concerned the timeline for a possible merger between SpaceX and Tesla, Musk’s automaker.
Musk’s companies have had business and financial relationships for years, even sharing staff and some board members.
Tesla invested $2 billion in xAI, which was then converted into SpaceX shares. SpaceX’s AI unit also spent about $430 million last year on Tesla’s Megapacks, which are battery energy storage systems, and $143 million on Cybertrucks.
With SpaceX hitting the public market in June, speculation about a more permanent tie-up is growing. SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell told CNBC before the IPO that a merger “might make Elon’s life a little easier.”
A demonstration of Tesla’s next-generation Roadster last week sparked new enthusiasm for the merger among Musk’s fans. The new Roadster was developed with SpaceX and incorporates its technology, including cold gas thrusters, to allow the car to take off, hover and flip in the air.
—Lora Kolodny
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