William Shatner says he turned a $42 money transfer from Elon Musk into nearly $200,000 for his charity

• Elon Musk gave William Shatner early access to his upcoming X Money banking product.
• Shatner spoke to Business Insider about how he turned the digital currency Musk gave him into charitable donations.
• The actor also weighed in on how AI will change Hollywood.

William Shatner says he's had a "tentative relationship" with Elon Musk over the years. "Barely reaching the R in relationship," he told Business Insider in a recent interview.

But last month, he said Musk sent him $42 through X Money, the payments product being tested inside the X app, helping Shatner eventually raise nearly $200,000 for charity.

The 94-year-old actor told Business Insider the exchange began as "a jocular exchange between a very rich man and a very old actor."

"One day, Musk writes to me, 'Well, I don't have my fortune tied up in cash. It's all in ownership of the variety of companies,'" Shatner said. "So I jokingly say, 'Well, if you need a few dollars, I can lend you a few dollars.'"

Instead of taking him up on the offer, Shatner said Musk sent him $42 — a nod to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," a number Musk frequently invokes — through X's financial product.

X Money is currently in beta, with select users testing the app. Musk posted on February 18 that he would be activating Shatner's account "shortly."

The product is central to Musk's broader ambition to turn X into an "everything app," which also includes a financial services platform. Musk has said the app will offer users a 6% annual percentage yield — significantly higher than many traditional savings accounts — and posted on Tuesday that public access will "launch next month."

Shatner, who has run the Hollywood Charity Horse Show for 35 years to benefit children and veterans, said he decided to turn the $42 into a fundraising tool.

"I say, great, I've got $42 from Elon Musk. I'll sell each of those dollars," he told Business Insider.

Since late February, Shatner has offered donors access to the beta in exchange for contributions. For at least $1,000, donors receive $1 from his X Money account, which grants them entry into the still-limited product.

Shatner said he initially expected to raise $42,000.

Instead, the first round sold out quickly. Musk sent another $42, Shatner said, and employees affiliated with xAI also contributed additional funds.

"We've sold all of those," Shatner said. "So we're close to raising $200,000 before the charity even gets going."

The annual horse show, scheduled for May 30 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, typically raises between $300,000 and $500,000, he said.

Despite the fundraising success, Shatner characterized his relationship with Musk as limited. The two have occasionally interacted on X, often around their shared interest in space exploration.

He has also publicly criticized Musk in the past, including during Musk's 2023 overhaul of X's blue check verification system.

Musk and xAI did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Shatner's views on AI as a Hollywood star

The famous actor also reflected on artificial intelligence's growing role in Hollywood, where studios are experimenting with digital likeness technology that can replicate actors' faces and voices.

"What AI doesn't have is emotion," he told Business Insider. "So based purely on a logical basis, they come to certain conclusions that may not be ours, because they don't feel what we feel."

The debate around AI's use in filmmaking has intensified as A-list actors question how computer-generated performances could affect their careers.

Matthew McConaughey recently said during a Variety and CNN town hall that AI in entertainment is "already here" and driven by economic incentives.

Shatner said he believes the technology will be useful to studios — including enhancing actors' appearances — but worries about what's lost in the process.

"Hollywood has the ability to make my face look less tired than it is," he said. "We are an extension of good and bad. We infer by our emotional memory. And the machines don't have that."