Elon Musk says he may act on donate-fortune challenge
Daron Acemoglu challenged Musk to pledge about $1 trillion to charity by 2036, and Musk said he may do something similar.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
A public challenge over whether Elon Musk donate fortune plans are more than talk drew a direct response from the Tesla and SpaceX chief. Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu asked Musk on X to pledge roughly $1 trillion to charity by 2036, arguing it would test Musk’s own view that money may lose importance as artificial intelligence advances.
Musk did not commit to Acemoglu’s terms. He replied on X: “I am actually going to do something along these lines!”
The exchange matters because Musk, described in the material as the world’s richest man, has been pressed for years over how much of his wealth he gives away. He has also described philanthropy as difficult and has criticized some other large-scale donors.
Will Elon Musk donate his fortune?
Musk has not said he will give away his entire fortune, and he has not named a timeline, charities or dollar amount. His X reply only indicated that he is considering something similar to Acemoglu’s proposal.
Acemoglu’s challenge was tied to Musk’s stated belief that money could become less important because of AI. In his X post, Acemoglu wrote that if money will not matter in 2036, Musk should donate his current wealth, which Acemoglu put at about $1 trillion, no later than that year.
Acemoglu said such a pledge would give credibility to Musk’s confidence in AI and technology. He also argued it could ease concerns about the political and social power of billionaires and trillionaires. Acemoglu added that the charities should be judged “effective and non-ideological” by an impartial body.
What has Musk said about philanthropy?
Musk discussed charitable giving on Nikhil Kamath’s WTF podcast in an episode published in December 2025. “I agree with love of humanity, and I think we should try to do things that help our fellow human beings,” Musk said. “But it’s very hard.”
His record has also drawn scrutiny. The New York Times, citing files it obtained, reported that Musk’s foundation had about $14 billion at the end of 2025 and that much of its giving had gone to organizations closely aligned with Musk’s business interests.
According to The New York Times, three-quarters of Musk’s total giving in 2024, or $370 million, went to a Texas nonprofit led by one of his top aides. The newspaper reported that the nonprofit operates an elementary school in a rural area near several Musk companies, where many employees live.
Musk has also weighed in on MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropy. After Pubity posted on X that Scott had given $26 billion and had become one of the biggest individual donors in history, another account claimed she was using the money to make the world worse. Musk replied: “Sadly, yes.”
Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, was described as still worth nearly $35 billion despite her giving. The contrast has kept attention on Musk’s own charitable plans, especially now that he has publicly suggested he may pursue a pledge resembling Acemoglu’s challenge.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.