This is another notable statement from American billionaire Elon Musk. On Tuesday, July 16, he announced that he wanted to move the headquarters of the companies X and SpaceX from California to Texas. The reason: a state law aimed at protecting transgender students. The entrepreneur sees it as an “attack [d]families and [d]”companies”. But behind these ultra-conservative political positions, there is also a financial strategy.
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Exit California, the headquarters of the flagship companies ofElon Musk, SpaceX and X, will be moved to Texas. This is in any case what he guaranteed on Tuesday, July 16, in reaction to a law aimed at combating discrimination against transgender people in the Californian state.
This text, promulgated the day before by the Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, Among other things, it prohibits school personnel from disclosing information about a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity to anyone without their consent. California thus becomes the first state to ban forced disclosures.
But the measure is not to the taste of the American billionaire, who has recently distinguished himself by his ultraconservative positions and his support for Donald Trump. He also promised the Republican candidate to invest $45 million a month into his campaign.
” The shift to his conservative, even far-right, side took place during the coronavirus crisis. Elon Musk made mind-blowing statements against the lockdowns imposed by the State of California to stem the pandemic. At that time, he already moved Tesla’s headquarters to Texas. “, analyzes Boris Manenti, author ofElon Musk, the trickster at Editions du Rocher and editor-in-chief of the economics department of the French weekly The New Obs.
Behind the speeches, the lure of gain
But behind these political arguments, Elon Musk’s choices are above all dictated by the search for profit. The threat of moving SpaceX’s headquarters to Texas is not a first.In February, the super-rich boss was annoyed by a court decision in Delaware, where the company is based. The Delaware Chancery Court (DCC), one of the three constitutional courts in the state, specializing in business law, issued a judgment rejecting his $56 billion compensation plan at Tesla.
” In reality, these movements are guided by purely economic logic. Texas has become the tax Eldorado for companies. There is no corporate tax, no income tax, and premises are cheaper than in California. The only tax constraint is the federal tax. ” explains Boris Manenti.
The SpaceX business
Elon Musk’s political persona is also an opportunity for his business. In 2002, Elon Musk set out to conquer the skies, creating his company SpaceX, specializing in astronautics and space flight.
” SpaceX is not a company like the others, where the goal would be to sell in large quantities. Here, these are big contracts, but at a rate of only a few per year. To sign these contracts, there is a lot of networking, diplomacy, official meetings. This is how Elon Musk will carve out a public and political persona and surround himself with far-right personalities. “, continues Boris Manenti. Having become a public figure, Elon Musk never ceases to put himself in the spotlight. ” It is through his image that he can lead his companies. This is how he manages to gather 44 billion to buy Twitterthis is how he leads SpaceX into complicated negotiations with theAmerican state. It is through its image that its empire holds. »
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A personal story marked by anti-woke obsession
However, these conservative positions are not simply opportunistic and can be linked to his personal history. Born in 1971 in PretoriaElon Musk grows up in South Africa in full apartheid. “He evolved in a privileged Afrikaner environment, where the cult of masculinity and white power prevailed. These foundations are resurfacing today “, explains this specialist.
More recently, the billionaire has been marked by the family breakup with his transgender daughter, who, at the same time as her request for a gender change, requested a name change so as to no longer be associated with her father. An event which would have accentuated his “anti-woke” obsession, according to his official biography, written by Walter Isaacson.