Elon Musk responded to X user Wall Street Silver's post, citing a New York Times report that revealed Musk's social media company would shift its San Francisco office outside the highly taxed, crime-ridden metro area controlled by left-wing progressives.
Musk said X had "no choice" but to close its Market Street office in downtown San Francisco. He said, "It is impossible to operate in San Francisco if you're processing payments," adding, "That's why Stripe, Block (CashApp) & others had to move."
No choice. It is impossible to operate in San Francisco if you’re processing payments.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2024
That’s why Stripe, Block (CashApp) & others had to move.
NYTimes' report cited an email from X's chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, to employees on Monday explaining that workers from the downtown office will be shifted to existing offices in San Jose. X will also open an engineering-focused office in Palo Alto for X employees that will be shared with Musk's artificial intelligence company, 'xAI.'
"This is an important decision that impacts many of you, but it is the right one for our company in the long term," Yaccarino wrote to employees.
Last month, Musk said he was moving SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, to the company's rocket launch site in Texas. He also said X would move from San Fran to Austin, Texas.
This move stems not just from high taxes and the crime-ridden metro area. All brought to you by progressive politicians who are not rooted in reality but also a recently signed law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that bars school districts from requiring staff to inform parents of their child's gender identification change.
This gender bill was the "last straw" for Musk.
This is the final straw.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 16, 2024
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. https://t.co/cpWUDgBWFe
"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," Musk wrote on X in mid-July.
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
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 16, 2024
In a conversation with Jordan Peterson last month, Musk revealed his son, Vivian Jenna Wilson, received gender-affirming care, explaining, "I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys ... This was really before I had any understanding of what was going on, and we had Covid going on, so there was a lot of confusion and I was told (Musk's child) might commit suicide."
"I was tricked into doing this," Musk said, adding, "I lost my son, essentially. They call it 'deadnaming' for a reason. The reason they call it 'deadnaming' is because your son is dead."
Meanwhile, according to the latest data from CBRE, San Francisco's office vacancy rate is the highest of any US metro area, exceeding 36%. Any recovery in the metro area will take years.
A spokesperson for San Francisco Mayor London Breed told Bloomberg, "Our focus remains on working with and supporting the many businesses that call SF home, from global headquarters to leading AI companies and thousands of small businesses."
In California, it's one policy mistake after another.
Whether it's on crime, social issues, or the economy, progressive politicians are proving to be extremely poor managers, disconnected from the realities of how a functioning society should operate. And perhaps that's intentional as they install the 'woke' religion into all facets of government. Business owners and residents who see this are running for the hills.