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Musk: I'm tired of California and am moving SpaceX and X headquarters to Texas

2024-07-17

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July 17 news, ElonMuskIt seems like Elon Musk has had enough.CaliforniaHe is moving the headquarters of his two companies, X and SpaceX, from California toTexas

On Monday, local time in the United States, California Governor and Democratic Gavin Newsom signed a new law aimed at protecting student privacy and prohibiting schools from disclosing information about students' sexual orientation or gender identity to parents without their consent.

Musk said on the social media platform X that this law and many previous policies in California posed a challenge to the family and business environment, and became the "last straw" for his decision to move the headquarters. (Background: Musk's eldest son applied for gender change after reaching adulthood and severed the father-son relationship. Musk criticized the school education system for this.)


Musk said his rocket company SpaceX will move its new headquarters from Hawthorne, California, to Texas. SpaceX has been expanding its rocket manufacturing and launch facility, Starbase, near Brownsville in the southeastern part of the state. Meanwhile, social media platform X will also move its headquarters fromSan FranciscoRelocated to Austin, Texas. Speaking of X's headquarters in San Francisco, Musk said: "It's unbearable to go in and out of this building and have to frequently avoid violent drug gangs!"

SpaceX and the California governor have not yet commented on the matter, and a spokesperson for X declined to comment.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, quickly responded to Musk's post on X, retweeting the tweet and praising SpaceX's decision to move "further solidify Texas' position as a global leader in space exploration."

In the aftermath of the recent assassination, Musk publicly announced his support for Donald Trump's candidacy for the next US president on Saturday. According to insider information, Musk plans to donate about $45 million per month to an emerging super political action committee (PAC) to fully support Trump's campaign.

X was formerly known as Twitter, which had been operating in San Francisco's Mid-Market community for more than a decade before Musk acquired it in 2022. However, Musk is critical of the way San Francisco authorities deal with social issues such as crime. He bluntly pointed out at X last year: "Many Twitter employees feel threatened when working in the city center. Car windows are smashed, and calls to the police are fruitless. This has led to a significant decrease in employees' sense of security, and they no longer actively seek help from the police."

X has continued to expand in Texas. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would set up a new team in Austin to focus on content security issues and launched a recruitment plan. As for the future plans of the San Francisco headquarters, it is still unclear. But one possibility is that X will retain the San Francisco office and adopt an operating model similar to Tesla, that is, setting up a headquarters in Texas and setting up offices in California.Palo AltoAn important branch called "Engineering Headquarters" is retained.

Before Musk formally announced the relocation plan on Tuesday, X had intended to sublease the excess space in its San Francisco headquarters that was vacant due to layoffs, according to people familiar with the matter.

For SpaceX, its business layout in Texas has long been solid, and it continues to take steps to expand its business in the state. The company has submitted documents to re-register in Texas, a move aimed at responding to an earlier ruling by a Delaware judge that Musk's huge compensation is invalid.

In Texas, SpaceX has a presence in several key areas. McGregor is an important base for testing engines and other hardware. Outside Austin, a new factory covering more than 65,000 square meters has been built to focus on producing Starlink internet user terminals.

Particularly noteworthy is Starbase near Brownsville, which is rapidly emerging as SpaceX's new headquarters. This complex spans tidal flats and land surrounding the park. It not only directly employs more than 1,800 employees, making it the largest employer in the area, but is also regarded by SpaceX as the "gateway to Mars." It brings together the Starship's launch pad, production plant, residential facilities, and a series of supporting facilities related to this giant aircraft. SpaceX is working hard to prove that the Starship can be successfully launched according to the established design.

SpaceX's activities at Starbase are expected to increase. According to the latest documents submitted to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, SpaceX announced earlier this year that it plans to build a five-story office building outside the industrial area of ​​Starbase to further expand its office space. In addition, the company has applied to the Federal Aviation Administration to increase the number of Starship launches from Starbase from the current five times a year to 25 times.

Although SpaceX's business expansion in Texas has won the support of many local community members, it has also encountered certain resistance and challenges. More than a year ago, some residents of Bastrop County expressed opposition to SpaceX's Starlink factory and the expansion plan of Musk's tunnel company The Boring Company.

At the same time, SpaceX's Starship testing activities at Starbase have also raised concerns among some environmentalists and residents. They point out that frequent beach closures during testing may have an impact on local land and wildlife, and question whether the measures taken by regulators to mitigate these impacts are sufficient. However, SpaceX emphasized that the company values ​​its relationship with the communities surrounding Starbase and is proud to be an active participant in community development and actively publicizes its work in the area.

The move from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase marks the end of an era for SpaceX. The company, founded by Musk more than 20 years ago, thrived in Southern California, with a large factory in Hawthorne, where a towering SpaceX booster still stands near the building's entrance.