Elon Musk moving X HQ to Austin, SpaceX HQ to Texas
TEXAS - Tech billionaire Elon Musk announced that X, formerly known as Twitter, is moving to Austin, and SpaceX headquarters will also move to Texas.
He says he made this decision because of a new law in California that he claims is hurtful to children and families.
"This is the final straw. Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas." His post read. "X HQ will move to Austin."
The law he's referring to was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday. It bans school districts from requiring that parents be notified if their child changes their gender identity.
Supporters say it will protect kids in abusive households, but those against it say it violates parents' rights.
"The teacher is not in any way stopped from picking up the phone and talking to the parent about it. All this law does is stop school boards from forcing teachers to ALWAYS call the parents," State Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) said.
"School districts should be allowed to have policies where they disclose this vital information to parents. They have policies to notify them if a child is bullied, if a child attempts suicide," Jacob Huebert, president of Liberty Justice Center, said.
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In Texas, Austinites FOX 7 Austin spoke to are looking forward to more jobs.
"It demonstrates that Texas is the best place for business in the galaxy," Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, said "This has got to go down as one of the best days in the history of Texas when it comes to job announcements."
Hamer says the announcement is a big win for growth.
"California's a disaster. I mean, there's a reason why Texas will have a $20 billion budget surplus in the upcoming session. California's budget deficit will be over $35 billion. Here's our trajectory. In the next 20 years, probably next 15 years, Texas will go past California, both in terms of population and in terms of GDP," Hamer said.
CANNES, FRANCE - JUNE 19: Chief Technology Officer of X Elon Musk speaks onstage during the "Exploring the New Frontiers of Innovation: Mark Read in Conversation with Elon Musk" session at the Lumiere Theatre during the Cannes Lions International Fes
"Tech layoffs have been a huge issue here in the city. There are tons of people out of work that are in need of these kinds of opportunities," said Tyler O'Neil, an Austin resident. "Me personally, I'm down, but any business that wants to move to Austin, the more the merrier. We have plenty of space. We have plenty of amazing people here. In terms of specifically X, I don't really care to be honest, and I don't really see how it will necessarily impact the city as a whole."
"For jobs, for people to get off the street, it'd be great," said Bobby Hipp, an Austin resident. "Texas is better. Everything's better in Texas."
Musk moved Tesla headquarters to Austin from California in 2021.
Gov. Greg Abbott also chimed in on X, posting "This cements Texas as the leader in space exploration" and "X marks the spot. TeXas is the HQ for business."