Elon Musk cites California gender ID law as reason for moving HQs to Texas

Elon Musk has announced that he will be relocating SpaceX and X headquarters from California to Texas due to the state’s new gender identification law.

In a post on X, the billionaire revealed plans to move SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas, and X from San Francisco to Austin.

The new law, signed by California governor Gavin Newsom, prohibits school districts from mandating staff to inform parents of their child’s gender identification change.

Mr Musk expressed his discontent, stating, “This is the final straw,” and added, “I did make it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California to protect their children.”

Tesla, where Mr Musk serves as chief executive, had already relocated its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin in 2021.

Mr Musk also confirmed that he has moved his residence from California to Texas, a state without a personal income tax.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that he was donating to a political group supporting presidential candidate Donald Trump, with estimates suggesting around $45m (£35m) per month as reported by the Wall Street Journal.