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Elon Musk has said he will give every child in America a stake in SpaceX next year, a giveaway involving roughly 72 million shares worth about $10.5 billion at current prices. Divided among the country's children, that works out to roughly $146 per child. The pledge comes amid a broader trend of large philanthropic promises from Silicon Valley's wealthiest tech figures.
Nature's editorial board examines how a growing cohort of tech-wealth philanthropists, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, are funding science with an engineering-style focus on speed, data sharing and AI-assisted grant processes. The piece notes that potential IPOs at OpenAI and Anthropic could soon create many more such donors with billion-dollar fortunes.
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that small business owners spend too much time studying successful founders' personalities and routines instead of the underlying systems that produce results. The writer describes adapting a large partner company's employee philanthropy program by creating a smaller version that tracks volunteer hours and rewards team members for community involvement.
Fast Company convened Alex Amouyel of Newman's Own Foundation, Sharon Prince of Grace Farms Foundation, and Les Szabo of Purpose Pledge for a discussion on modernizing corporate giving. Moderated by Morgan Brady, the panel examined how companies can move past conventional charity models to tackle systemic problems more directly. The conversation centered on the idea that effective philanthropy often requires risk-taking and challenging existing institutional structures.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong told the Katie Miller Podcast that he views philanthropy as often a 'net negative on the world,' arguing that charitable foundations tend to get 'captured by ideology.' Despite an estimated net worth of $8.7 billion, Armstrong said he has decided not to pursue large-scale giving, contrasting his stance with figures like Bill Gates.
Dolly Parton, the country music icon and philanthropist, died on August 25 at age 80. Fans and public figures responded with tributes ranging from landmarks illuminated in pink to a special Google search Easter egg celebrating her life and career.