Tesla has announced that it will move its company headquarters to Texas from California. Chief Executive Elon Musk announced the move at the electric carmaker’s annual shareholders meeting in Austin. Musk had fallen out with local politicians in Alameda County, California, the location of a key Tesla factory, over his Covid response.
He gave several reasons for the move, dtelling shareholders that its Californian factory in Fremont was “stuck.” California was also a difficult place for his employees to find affordable housing, he told shareholders. “There is a limit to how big you can climb in the Bay Area. In Austin, our factory is five minutes from the airport, 15 minutes from downtown,” he said.
The billionaire tech entrepreneur has had a troubled relationship with California at times. In May, Musk had a high-profile dispute with local politicians in California after he was ordered to keep the Tesla plant in Fremont closed.
Tesla is filing a lawsuit against Alameda County immediately. The unelected & ignorant “Interim Health Officer & rdquor; of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2020