Billionaire Elon Musk announced he’s relocating the headquarters of SpaceX and social media company X from California to Texas, due to a new gender-identity law in California.
Musk revealed on X Tuesday that SpaceX will move from Hawthorne, California to its Starbase site in Texas, while X will relocate from San Francisco to Austin.
The decision follows a law signed Monday by California Governor Gavin Newsom that prohibits school districts from requiring staff to inform parents about their child’s gender identification change. Musk called this law the “final straw.”
“I made it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that such laws would drive families and companies out of California to protect their children,” Musk stated.
In 2021, Tesla, where Musk serves as CEO, also shifted its headquarters from Palo Alto, California to Austin, Texas.
Musk has moved his residence to Texas, which has no state personal income tax.
SpaceX’s massive Starship rockets are constructed and launched from Boca Chica Beach, Texas, near the Mexican border at a site named Starbase. The company’s smaller Falcon 9 rockets launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Southern California.
Musk has been increasingly vocal about politics, endorsing former US president Donald Trump for the 2024 election and reportedly planning to contribute $45 million per month to a pro-Trump committee super PAC. Trump is expected to reverse transgender rights if elected this year.
Musk, who has a transgender daughter, previously expressed support for trans rights but blamed “neo-Marxists” for his daughter’s decision. Last year, he advocated for criminalizing transgender medical treatments for minors, citing concerns about “severe, irreversible changes.”