Newsletters
The world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk, hinted on Monday at a future charitable pledge. His comment followed a challenge from Nobel Prize-winning Turkish economist Daron Acemoglu, who urged Musk to commit his estimated $1 trillion fortune to charity by 2036 to prove his confidence in artificial intelligence.
Acemoglu took to X with "a proposed pledge for Elon Musk," pointing to the billionaire's previous comments that money could lose much of its importance by 2036 because of advances in AI.
"If money won’t matter in 2036, why don’t you pledge to donate your current wealth of approximately $1 trillion to charity no later than 2036," Acemoglu wrote. Musk responded shortly afterward with a brief message: "I am actually going to do something along these lines!"
Musk's response aligns with a vision he has repeatedly outlined in recent months, arguing that advances in artificial intelligence and humanoid robots will transform the global economy.
In a recent interview with The Economist, the Tesla and SpaceX chief predicted AI would surpass human intelligence within about five years.
He argued that AI-powered robots could create such an abundance of goods and services that "money won't matter in 2036," describing the future as a "quasi-infinite economy" where scarcity largely disappears.
Musk has also suggested that work could become optional in such a future, with AI-driven productivity making traditional concerns such as retirement savings and income far less important.
Musk, 55, is the world's wealthiest person, with Forbes estimating his real-time net worth at about $715.6 billion as of Monday, largely based on the value of his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX.
The billionaire briefly became the world's first trillionaire after SpaceX's public debut in June, but his fortune has since fluctuated sharply as shares of SpaceX and Tesla pulled back.
Most of Musk's wealth is concentrated in company stock and stock options, meaning any pledge to donate a significant portion of his fortune would likely involve transferring shares over time rather than cash.
Acemoglu, 58, shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for their research on how institutions are formed and how they shape a country's long-term prosperity.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
