Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX (SPCX) CEO Elon Musk’s prediction that money could one day become largely meaningless just came with a trillion-dollar test.
“A proposed pledge for Elon Musk.” MIT economist and 2024 Nobel Prize winner Daron Acemoglu wrote on X on July 27, 2026. "An opportunity to put your money where your mouth is. 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. This would establish with great credibility your belief in the powers of AI and technology. It would also assuage many people around the world who are worried about the political and social influence of billionaires and trillionaires."
“PS. The charities chosen for this should be approved as effective and non-ideological by an impartial body.”
Musk didn’t dismiss the idea. “I am actually going to do something along these lines!” the billionaire wrote on X later that day, offering no explanation of what that commitment might involve or when it could happen.
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Money Will Be Meaningless Claim
Acemoglu’s proposal followed comments Musk made during an interview with The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas on July 23, 2026. Discussing the future of artificial intelligence, Musk argued that AI and humanoid robots could eventually create such an abundance of goods and services that money would lose much of its purpose.
“What do you want money for?” Musk said. “You want money for goods and services.” He said that if AI can produce nearly everything people want at extremely low cost, “money won’t matter,” adding that deflation, rather than inflation, could become the bigger economic challenge in that world.
A Fortune Put to the Test
Acemoglu’s challenge wasn’t simply about giving money away. By using Musk’s own 2036 timeline, the economist turned one of the billionaire’s boldest predictions into a public test of conviction. If money truly becomes far less important within the next decade, Acemoglu argued, pledging today’s fortune to charity would demonstrate genuine confidence in that future while addressing concerns about the growing influence of the world’s wealthiest individuals.
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The economist referred to Musk’s fortune as “approximately $1 trillion,” though that figure has since changed. Musk briefly surpassed the trillion-dollar mark after SpaceX’s public debut earlier this summer, but declines in Tesla and SpaceX valuations have since reduced his estimated net worth well below that level. Even so, the vast majority of his wealth remains tied to stock holdings rather than cash, making any charitable commitment of that size considerably more complex than writing a check.
One Reply, Many Questions
Musk has not expanded on what he meant by doing “something along these lines.” He has not announced a charitable pledge, identified potential recipients, or outlined a timeline, leaving his brief X post as the only public response to Acemoglu’s proposal so far. Musk's charitable history so far has been reportedly mostly “circular” in nature and frequently falls short of the IRS' legal requirements.
On the date of publication, Caleb Naysmith did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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