Elon Musk has announced plans to relocate his companies from California to Texas. On Tuesday, the billionaire shared on X that SpaceX’s headquarters will move from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas, a company town under construction in the southern part of the state. Additionally, social media platform X will relocate from San Francisco to Austin, Texas.
Musk cited the SAFETY Act, a new law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, as a key reason for the move. This law prohibits school districts from requiring teachers to inform parents if a child wants to be identified by a different gender.
Musk described this as “the final straw” and criticized the law, along with other regulations, for attacking both families and companies. “Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas,” Musk posted on X.]
In 2022, one of Musk’s children legally changed her name and gender, expressing a desire to no longer be associated with her father. Musk has faced criticism for his comments on gender identity issues on X. Additionally, Musk highlighted concerns about violent crime near the X headquarters in San Francisco as another reason for the move.
Musk’s interest in Texas is not new. In February, SpaceX filed to relocate its business incorporation from Delaware to Texas after a Delaware judge ruled against Musk’s 2018 Tesla pay package. In 2021, Musk announced that Tesla’s headquarters would move from the Bay Area to Austin, Texas, and he himself moved to Texas in December 2020.
