Elon Musk has officially traded Silicon Valley for the Lone Star State.
After months of speculation, the eccentric Tesla CEO confirmed Tuesday that he’s moved to Texas, doing so to focus on SpaceX and Tesla’s Gigafactory, currently under construction in Austin. The 49-year-old Musk made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal.
SpaceX headquarters are in the Los Angeles area. Tesla remains centered in the Bay Area, specifically Palo Alto, with the company’s main factory in Fremont.
Musk didn’t shy away from criticizing California on his way out.
"If a team has been winning for too long, they do tend to get a little complacent, a little entitled and then they don’t win the championship anymore," he said. "California has been winning for a very long time and I think they’re taking it for granted a little bit."
Musk most recently butted heads with the California officials in the spring over the state’s strict COVID-19 health orders, which forced his Fremont factory to temporarily close. He later threatened to move Tesla’s headquarters out of the state as the disagreement over safety standards during the pandemic continued.
Musk, 49, made headlines as he put many of his California homes on the market over the last several months and reportedly moved his charitable foundation to Texas. The move could save Musk a boatload of money, as Texas does not collect personal income taxes. It's well documented that California's taxes are among the highest in the country.
Last month, Musk overtook Bill Gates as the world’s second-richest person.
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