President Donald Trump's plan to seed $1,000 government-funded accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 has attracted some heavyweight supporters. But there's one notable billionaire sitting firmly on the sidelines, and he happens to be the richest person on the planet.

Elon Musk isn't just declining to participate in the Trump account initiative. He's actively telling other wealthy people not to donate either. Which is interesting, considering he could fund the entire thing with pocket change.

The Billionaire Brigade

Michael Dell and his wife kicked things off with a $6.25 billion pledge to fund accounts for 25 million U.S. children aged 10 and under who were born before the Trump account program launched. That's $250 per child for kids who otherwise wouldn't qualify for the new program.

Not to be outdone, Ray Dalio, the Bridgewater Associates founder, announced he'd match the Dells' $250 donation for every eligible child in Connecticut. That's roughly 300,000 kids in his home state.

"I personally appreciate the Trump administration's launch of the Trump accounts, appreciate the Dells for piling on with their support, and appreciate both of them for allowing Dalio Philanthropies and others to join in," Dalio wrote on social media Wednesday.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is now running with the momentum, launching a "50 State Challenge" to get billionaires in every state involved.

"We are inviting every philanthropist in every state across the country to partner with us in building generational wealth for America's children through Trump accounts," Bessent said.

Musk's Counteroffer: Nothing

Musk, who recently became the first person ever to cross the $600 billion net worth threshold, won't be joining the challenge. His reasoning? We won't need money in the future anyway.

"It is certainly a nice gesture of the Dells, but there will be no poverty in the future and so no need to save money. There will be universal high income," Musk responded to Dalio's post Wednesday.

This is a fascinating position for someone who has spent years publicly advocating for higher birth rates. You'd think funding investment accounts for children would align perfectly with encouraging people to have more kids. But apparently not.

The Math Is Pretty Simple

Let's run the numbers on what it would actually cost Musk to underwrite this entire program.

According to CDC data, the U.S. birth rate currently sits at around 3.6 million babies per year. Over the four-year Trump account eligibility period from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2028, that works out to roughly 14.4 million children.

At $1,000 per child, Musk would need to write a check for $14.4 billion to match the government's contribution for every single baby born during this period.

With his current net worth sitting at $644 billion according to Bloomberg, that donation would leave him with $629.6 billion. He'd still be the world's richest person by a comfortable margin, with second-place Larry Page clocking in at $260 billion.

Put another way, Musk would retain 97.8% of his wealth after funding the entire program. Even after cutting that check, he'd still be worth more than Jeff Bezos ($249 billion), Mark Zuckerberg ($234 billion), and Bill Gates ($118 billion) combined.

The Catch, Of Course

Now, this assumes Musk has $14.4 billion in cash lying around, which he doesn't. The vast majority of his wealth is tied up in equity stakes in Tesla Inc. (TSLA), SpaceX, and other ventures. His net worth could balloon even further with his new Tesla pay package and a potential SpaceX IPO down the road.

Musk has been consistent in his belief that artificial intelligence and robotics will eventually make traditional work obsolete, ushering in an era of universal high income. He's particularly bullish on Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot, which he claims could represent 80% of the company's future value and help push Tesla to a $20 trillion valuation.

So while other billionaires are investing in children's savings accounts, Musk is betting on a future where those accounts won't matter because everyone will be rich anyway. Time will tell which vision of the future proves more accurate.