Elon Musk Relocates X and SpaceX Headquarters to Texas
Elon Musk announced that he will be relocating the headquarters for X and SpaceX to Texas. This move is likely a symbolic gesture that further aligns him with the political right and distances him from California’s left-leaning politics.
Musk made these announcements on his X social media site on Tuesday, citing his frustration with a new law in California regarding transgender children in public schools. This law prohibits school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents about changes in a student’s sexual orientation and gender identity.
“This is the final straw,” Musk stated in the post announcing SpaceX’s relocation.
This move represents the latest development in Musk’s shift towards the political right. Recently, he offered a strong endorsement of former President Donald Trump for the upcoming US election and pledged to donate millions of dollars to his campaign each month. Musk has been a frequent critic of California’s liberal politics and has repeatedly threatened to pull X and his other businesses out of the state.
SpaceX’s headquarters is currently located in Hawthorne, California, but the company has been expanding a large facility in South Texas called Starbase for the past few years. This site in Boca Chica is the primary location for building and launching SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket system. Recently, the company added a massive warehouse factory at Starbase known as the Starfactory, which replaced many of the site’s previous production tents.
X’s headquarters is currently in San Francisco. However, the company recently put several floors of its main building up for lease last week. It’s anticipated that X will still retain some of this space for employees. In January, X announced plans to to address content moderation issues.
SpaceX employs approximately . Its Hawthorne facility has been the main location for producing and processing the company’s Falcon 9 workhorse rocket, as well as the larger, more powerful Falcon Heavy rocket.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated in an X post that this move “cements Texas as the leader in space exploration.”
The new California law may hold personal significance for Musk. One of his eldest children went to court after turning 18 in 2022 and changed their name. They stated in court filings that their decision was based on “gender identity and the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”
Musk already has numerous ties to Texas. His electric car company, Tesla Inc., earlier this year moved its business incorporation to Texas from Delaware. Similarly, the company moved its headquarters from California to Austin in 2021, citing frustration with pandemic lockdowns.
However, Tesla maintains a significant presence in California, with an engineering headquarters in Palo Alto.
Musk also relocated his personal residence to Texas several years ago.