Elon Musk just announced a major shakeup. He’s moving the headquarters of SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter) to Texas. Musk pointed to a new California law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The law stops schools from making teachers tell parents if their kids change their gender identity. Musk called this law “the final straw.” He warned Newsom that such laws would drive families and businesses out of California to protect their kids.
SpaceX will move its base from Hawthorne, California, to the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. X, currently in San Francisco, will head to Austin.
Musk’s relationship with California has always been rocky. He often complains about what he sees as too much government interference. Back in 2020, during the COVID lockdown, he moved Tesla’s headquarters from Palo Alto to Austin.
He called the restrictions in the Bay Area “fascist” after they forced Tesla’s Fremont factory to shut down. Musk has also slammed California for being slow with innovation and dragging its feet on public projects due to overregulation.
He’s not a fan of the crime and drug issues in San Francisco either, saying these problems make it hard for him to visit X’s office. He’s tangled with local politicians, saying the city is stuck in a “doom loop.”
But Musk hasn’t completely abandoned California. He still taps into Silicon Valley for its tech talent, especially for his AI and engineering projects.
However, the appeal of Texas is strong, with its lack of state income tax and capital gains tax making it a hotspot for high earners like Musk and his employees.
Musk recently endorsed Donald Trump for re-election after the latter was injured in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally. Musk shared his support on X, saying, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
There were also rumors about Musk pledging big donations to America PAC. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk plans to give $45 million each month. Musk denied this report by posting a meme on X, calling it “FAKE GNUS.”
