What does Catherine Rampell think of Elon Musk giving every American child a SpaceX share?

Elon Musk pledged to give every child in America one SpaceX share next year, worth about $10.3 billion in stock according to The Wall Street Journal. Catherine Rampell argues that because the children cannot legally sell the shares for five years, the giveaway effectively creates a price floor for SpaceX stock. She groups it with stunts like the Hyperloop that wear a gloss of public service while distracting from Musk's other conduct, though she doubts they still impress anyone.

• Kara Swisher says that if Musk wanted to help children, he could put the $10.3 billion toward poverty instead.
• Rampell credits Tesla as a genuinely impressive company that legacy automakers have struggled to match.

▸In their words

“Like, it would work if he were doing the P.T. Barnum stuff and he were a new player on the scene.” Catherine Rampell · at 27:38 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on On with Kara Swisher (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

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