Billionaire Elon Musk announced on Tuesday he would move the headquarters of his privately held company SpaceX and social media site X from California to Texas after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new gender identity law for students.
The law, signed Monday, prohibits school districts from requiring teachers to inform parents about a student’s change in gender identity or sexual orientation without the student’s permission and mandates the state Department of Education to create resources for families of LGBTQ+ students in seventh grade through high school.
“This is the final straw,” Musk wrote to X. “Because of this law, and many previous laws that attack both our families and businesses, SpaceX will be relocating our headquarters from Hawthorne, California to Starbase, Texas.”
Musk added, “I made it clear to Governor Newsom nearly a year ago that such a law would force families and businesses to leave California to protect our children.”
In a separate post, the billionaire revealed that the San Francisco headquarters of social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, Moved to Austin, Texas.
“I’m tired of having to avoid gangs of violent drug addicts just to get in and out of my building,” Musk wrote to X.
Critics say the bill is too intrusive and violates parental rights. One group opposed to the bill, the California Family Council, said the bill would “undermine the fundamental role of parents and put boys and girls at potential risk.”
But supporters of the bill say it will provide needed protections for transgender students whose parents oppose it. The law goes into effect in January.
In another response to X’s post by “All In” podcast host Jason Calacanis, Musk said the law would cause “a lot of families and businesses to relocate out of California.”
“Who wants to risk the state taking their child away?” Musk said.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Musk’s actions were “It firmly establishes Texas as a leader in space exploration.”
The Washington Post has reached out to SpaceX for further comment.
Musk had relocated electric car maker Tesla’s headquarters from California to Texas in 2021 after clashing with Governor Newsom and other local officials over pandemic response.
In a separate move, Tesla moved its headquarters from Delaware to Texas earlier this year, a change Mr. Musk had pushed for after a Delaware judge struck down his compensation as too high.
With post wire
