Elon Musk to relocate SpaceX, X headquarters to Texas protesting new California law on gender identity notification

Soon after the new California law dropped in, Elon Musk announced on July 16 his decision to relocate the headquarters of SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter) to Texas. The controversial legislation prevents schools from mandating that teachers notify parents about changes to a student's gender identity, as per a report AFP.

"This is the final straw," Musk declared on X, a day after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill, intensifying the cultural debates during a volatile election year in the United States.

"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," Musk stated, as quoted by AFP.

The billionaire also confirmed that X will be transferred from its art-deco headquarters in San Francisco to Austin, a move he has previously threatened but not executed until now.

"Have had enough of dodging gangs of violent drug addicts just to get in and out of the building," Musk wrote.

Musk had already moved Tesla's headquarters from Palo Alto in Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, although an "engineering headquarters" remains in California.

Musk has been openly critical of the use of preferred pronouns, frequently mocking the practice on social media and describing it as part of a "woke" agenda harmful to society. He is estranged from his trans daughter, blaming her California private school education for her political beliefs and their strained relationship.

Gender issues

Governor Newsom enacted the law on Monday following a contentious legislative process. The law counteracts decisions in conservative school districts that mandated teachers notify parents if a student changed their name or pronouns or requested to use facilities or participate in programs not matching their official gender.

Newsom, seen as a potential Democratic alternative to President Joe Biden in the next presidential election, has frequently clashed with conservatives over gender issues in state schools. Last year, he signed a law imposing fines on school districts that banned textbooks depicting LGBTQ people and other marginalised groups.

Newsom also engaged in a bitter dispute with a conservative school board over the study of Harvey Milk, a gay rights figure and San Francisco public official who was assassinated.

Musk and Newsom have a history of conflicts, notably during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when the former challenged the decisions of city and state health officials.

(WIth inputs from AFP)