Nobel laureate challenges Musk to donate his entire fortune by 2036; Musk says he may do something similar
2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences laureate and economist Daron Acemoglu recently challenged Elon Musk on X, citing Musk’s earlier comment in an interview that “by 2036, money will no longer matter.” “Here is a proposal for Elon Musk,” Acemoglu wrote. “This is an opportunity to prove your statement through action. If money will no longer matter by 2036, why not commit to donating your current fortune of about $1 trillion to charity no later than 2036? This would greatly strengthen your credibility regarding the power of AI and technology.” Acemoglu added that the donations should go to effective, non-ideological charities identified by neutral organizations. He said this could also help ease global concerns about the political and social influence of billionaires. Musk later replied, “I will actually do something like this!” He did not provide further details about a specific plan or say whether he would donate his entire fortune. The response drew immediate attention because Musk has previously taken a cautious view of philanthropy. He has said that “helping humanity is important, but doing philanthropy well is very difficult” and has criticized the practices of some high-profile donors. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk’s net worth stood at $709 billion as of Monday. Last month, after SpaceX went public, his fortune briefly topped $1 trillion, but the aerospace company’s stock has since fallen by about half from its peak. A user identified as @FrenlyOfficer recently commented on the philanthropic giving of MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, writing, “Unfortunately, she spent that money on things that made the world worse.” Scott reportedly donated as much as $26 billion in 2025, placing her among the largest individual donors in history. Musk replied to @FrenlyOfficer that he agreed, writing, “Sadly, that is indeed the case.” Some people on social media have urged Musk to donate part or all of his fortune, but Musk has not clearly explained his relationship with philanthropy. “I agree with the idea of caring for all of humanity, and I also believe we should strive to do things that benefit our fellow human beings,” Musk said on a podcast in December 2025. “But it is very difficult.” A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed that Musk’s largest recent donation occurred at the end of last year. At that time, he donated about 210,000 shares of Tesla stock, worth nearly $100 million, to an unnamed charity. According to reports, Musk also gives through the Musk Foundation, which handles most of his philanthropic activities. The foundation donated about $474 million to charities in 2024. SEC records show that the largest recipient of Musk Foundation funds in 2024 was an organization called The Foundation. It received about $370 million from the Musk Foundation that year. Musk established The Foundation in 2021 to build and operate STEM-focused schools in Texas and eventually establish a university. The reported $370 million donation was intended to support school operations and various educational programs. Musk previously founded a nonprofit school in California called Ad Astra for the children of SpaceX employees. A new Ad Astra school was later established near SpaceX’s facilities in Texas, with a focus on STEM education. Beyond education, other major Musk Foundation donations have gone to nonprofits involved in health care and disaster relief. Records show that the Musk Foundation donated more than $7 million to Baylor Scott & White Healthcare in 2024, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the United States. Musk also donated millions of dollars to organizations focused on education, housing, health care and disaster relief. Major recipients included the X Prize Foundation, Windward School, The Seton Fund, Austin Habitat for Humanity, Digital Harbor Foundation, the University of Texas at Austin and the St. Bernard Project.
“Here is a proposal for Elon Musk,” Acemoglu wrote. “This is an opportunity to prove your statement through action. If money will no longer matter by 2036, why not commit to donating your current fortune of about $1 trillion to charity no later than 2036? This would greatly strengthen your credibility regarding the power of AI and technology.”
Acemoglu added that the donations should go to effective, non-ideological charities identified by neutral organizations. He said this could also help ease global concerns about the political and social influence of billionaires.
Musk later replied, “I will actually do something like this!” He did not provide further details about a specific plan or say whether he would donate his entire fortune.
The response drew immediate attention because Musk has previously taken a cautious view of philanthropy. He has said that “helping humanity is important, but doing philanthropy well is very difficult” and has criticized the practices of some high-profile donors.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk’s net worth stood at $709 billion as of Monday. Last month, after SpaceX went public, his fortune briefly topped $1 trillion, but the aerospace company’s stock has since fallen by about half from its peak.
A user identified as @FrenlyOfficer recently commented on the philanthropic giving of MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, writing, “Unfortunately, she spent that money on things that made the world worse.” Scott reportedly donated as much as $26 billion in 2025, placing her among the largest individual donors in history.
Musk replied to @FrenlyOfficer that he agreed, writing, “Sadly, that is indeed the case.”
Some people on social media have urged Musk to donate part or all of his fortune, but Musk has not clearly explained his relationship with philanthropy.
“I agree with the idea of caring for all of humanity, and I also believe we should strive to do things that benefit our fellow human beings,” Musk said on a podcast in December 2025. “But it is very difficult.”
A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed that Musk’s largest recent donation occurred at the end of last year. At that time, he donated about 210,000 shares of Tesla stock, worth nearly $100 million, to an unnamed charity.
According to reports, Musk also gives through the Musk Foundation, which handles most of his philanthropic activities. The foundation donated about $474 million to charities in 2024.
SEC records show that the largest recipient of Musk Foundation funds in 2024 was an organization called The Foundation. It received about $370 million from the Musk Foundation that year. Musk established The Foundation in 2021 to build and operate STEM-focused schools in Texas and eventually establish a university. The reported $370 million donation was intended to support school operations and various educational programs.
Musk previously founded a nonprofit school in California called Ad Astra for the children of SpaceX employees. A new Ad Astra school was later established near SpaceX’s facilities in Texas, with a focus on STEM education.
Beyond education, other major Musk Foundation donations have gone to nonprofits involved in health care and disaster relief.
Records show that the Musk Foundation donated more than $7 million to Baylor Scott & White Healthcare in 2024, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the United States. Musk also donated millions of dollars to organizations focused on education, housing, health care and disaster relief. Major recipients included the X Prize Foundation, Windward School, The Seton Fund, Austin Habitat for Humanity, Digital Harbor Foundation, the University of Texas at Austin and the St. Bernard Project.