Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBut the real success of Musk is his Tesla car company, which makes fully electric vehicles that can be recharged with solar power. With the collapse of the fossil-fuel industry accelerated by the global pandemic, Tesla has grown many times over in the past few months. Because of this growth, Musk is now the second-richest man globally only behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n26. The Empire Elon Musk Made<\/span><\/h2>\nSpaceX is Musk’s company that he built to bring back interest in space exploration. He wanted to help develop an oasis on Mars and turn humanity into a space-faring civilization, but buying rockets from places like Russia was too expensive. So he founded SpaceX to build the rockets.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThere’s also Tesla, his electric vehicle company. Musk was an employee at the company long before he became the CEO, and he envisioned that it would begin producing the electric cars for which it is known today. <\/span>The Boring Company is one of his ideas that has yet to get off its feet. The idea is to drill tunnels to create a new underground network to connect people better. Currently, the cost of drilling is too high for The Boring Company to be successful.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n25. Hyperloop<\/span><\/h2>\nDriving from Silicon Valley in the San Francisco area down to Los Angeles, a famously well-traveled route in California, is a drag on the best of days. Add in the traffic, wear and tear on your car, and construction work, and no one wants to make that drive. Also, trains are expensive and slow.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMusk conceived Hyperloop to provide high-speed transportation between San Francisco and Los Angeles through high-pressure tubes underground. Hyperloop has been in the concept stage for nearly a decade now, although Musk has solicited ideas for building the pods that would carry the travelers. The goal is to create multiple Hyperloops between major metropolitan areas including New York City and Washington, DC.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n24. Artificial Intelligence<\/span><\/h2>\nOne of the pressing ethical questions regarding Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is how to keep computers from taking over civilization like<\/span> sci-fi movies where robots overrun the future. <\/span>OpenAI is Musk’s attempt to resolve that dilemma by developing AI in a manner that serves humanity without the risk of taking it over. <\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe company has the goal of making AI accessible to everyone so that it does not remain in the hands of a few upper-level scientists and power brokers. By democratizing the technology, it will be more challenging to manipulate.<\/span><\/p>\nNeuralink is another AI company that works alongside OpenAI to link human intelligence with artificial intelligence. Musk claims that Neuralink is developing technology that can be implanted into the human skull to increase intelligence and cure many diseases including paralysis and deafness. <\/span>Neuroscientists at MIT take issue with claims regarding Neuralink and see them as speculative at best.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n23. Elon Musk’s Factories Employ Many<\/span><\/h2>\nDespite some highly speculative ventures that may never provide any payback or profit, Musk has built many factories, particularly around Silicon Valley. The Tesla factory in Fremont, California, alone employs 10,000 people. In 2017, Tesla employed over 20,000 people in California and indirectly created as many as 50,000 jobs.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTesla is easily the most visible and most profitable of Musk’s companies, but his AI companies, Hyperloop, and primarily SpaceX employ plenty of other employees. Musk’s empire in Silicon Valley is comparable to internet giants like Facebook and Google. Musk has many people on his payroll.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n22. Massive Contributions To California<\/span><\/h2>\nJobs mean taxes, and high-paying jobs mean higher tax brackets. By bringing so many highly skilled workers to California and paying them Silicon-Valley salaries, it translates into employees spending more money in taxes, Musk has contributed significantly to California’s economy. <\/span>The people he has brought there have spent a lot of money. That money re-circulates in the economy and provides more jobs for more people.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHowever, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, and Musk have repeatedly butted heads, particularly over how the coronavirus pandemic should be handled. Moreover, while Musk is certainly innovative and creative – values essential to any growing economy – he’s too eccentric for many.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n21. Happy to See Musk Leave<\/span><\/h2>\nAn opinion article in the <\/span>San Francisco Chronicle <\/span><\/em>was entitled “Thank You, Texas, For Taking Elon Musk.” The writer claimed that Musk’s companies had received windfalls of cash from the government (government assistance was the only thing that kept Tesla solvent during the financial crisis following the 2008 housing market crash) but that he has not reciprocated with good citizenship.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCalifornia does have higher regulations on businesses than Texas and other conservative strongholds. These regulations are part of a larger social safety net that helps promote all Californians’ well-being regardless of income. After receiving numerous government handouts, the writer claimed that Musk turned around and flouted many of the regulations that the same government applied. <\/span><\/p>\nMusk takes what he can get and expects everyone to have his back. <\/span>Some of Musk’s projects, including the Hyperloop, look like attempts to privatize services the government is supposed to provide so that those services become for-profit and are only accessible to the wealthy. As such, the writer claimed that Musk is the star of corporate welfare,and will expect Texas to catch him when his companies don’t deliver.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n20. Downplayed The Coronavirus<\/span><\/h2>\nThe most recent head-butting between Musk and California’s policies concern the coronavirus. Musk promoted conspiracy theories that suggested the virus was not harmful and was little more than a cold. He demanded that the United States reopen its economy, with or without any pandemic, to preserve democratic freedom.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAlameda County, where the Tesla car factory is based, had some of the highest restrictions in California during the first few months of the crisis. Musk went beyond promoting conspiracy theories and unlawfully reopened his factory, exposing all of his workers to the virus. Knowing that his actions were illegal, Musk insisted that it should be him and him alone if anyone is arrested. <\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n19. Threatened To Move Over COVID Restrictions<\/span><\/h2>\nCalifornia’s governor had to walk a thin line knowing that Musk does employ many people throughout the state. His handling of the dispute with Musk will reverberate whether or not people will see California as a business-friendly state. Ultimately, Musk did not face any charges for defying the law and reopening his factory.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHowever, he did object so vehemently to strict restrictions by Governor Newsom and especially Alameda County that he threatened to leave California in protest. That was back in May, and in December, he made good on his threat. <\/span>There were likely other factors that led Musk to leave California, one being that Texas does not have a state income tax. Additionally, Musk already has two SpaceX facilities there. Many other tech companies are also relocating from California to Texas.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n18. Willing To Leave<\/span><\/h2>\nIn the op-ed from the <\/span>San Francisco Chronicle<\/span><\/em>, the writer claimed that California already has enough billionaires. Many of these billionaires live in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, and their corporate empires drive up the cost of living for everyone around them. Young Californians have been relocating to places like Texas simply because their home state has become too expensive for them.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWith the coronavirus pandemic, the writer saw his behavior as erratic and uncooperative to downright cruel. He had previously received state money and then turned on the very regulations that helped provide his own safety net. Nevertheless, with coronavirus, he threatened his workers and their families’ lives by forcing them to return to the factory.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n17. Relocated to Texas<\/span><\/h2>\nHewlett-Packard is one of many tech companies that recently decided to capitalize on Texas’ loose business regulations, lower taxes, and more affordable cost of living. Oracle, another tech company, also left its roots in Silicon Valley for the Lone Star State, and the CEO of DropBox recently relocated to Texas. McKesson (a pharmaceutical company), accounting firm Charles Schwab, and juice seller Jamba Juice recently left California for Texas.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhile Musk said his decision to move to Texas was due to how the governor handled the coronavirus shutdown, editorials across the country saw the move as a snub to Silicon Valley. It was just another a long list of migrations from California to Texas. Musk was already building a Tesla factory in Texas and already has two SpaceX facilities there.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n16. A Business-Friendly State<\/span><\/h2>\nIn 2020 alone, at least 39 major companies relocated to Texas’ capital city of Austin. Those companies included e-cigarette manufacturer Juul, venture capital funds, and start-ups. All of these businesses are inherently risky; venture capital funds bet on the success of start-ups, start-ups are risky, and e-cigarettes have faced bad publicity, bans, and lawsuits. <\/span> <\/p>\nShutterstockTexas has lured these companies with cheaper cost of living, fewer regulations, high level of diversity, and lower taxes. Musk’s journey to Texas was much more well-paved and better planned than many assume.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n15. Not As Many Regulations As California<\/span><\/h2>\nCalifornia has some of the strictest regulations for fossil-fuel emissions in America. Major urban centers, especially Los Angeles, are prone to becoming covered in smog. California has been pioneering clean energy and regulating the amount of sulfur present in fossil fuels to decrease its pollution problems. The state was also much swifter and stricter regarding coronavirus lockdowns than many other states.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTexas is the opposite. While California’s economy is moving away from fossil fuels, a move that favored Musk’s Tesla, Texas’ economy is still firmly invested in oil. There are far fewer restrictions on businesses in Texas, including how much pollution they can emit. Also, unlike California, Texas had a very lax coronavirus approach. <\/span>How will this lack of regulation in Texas benefit Musk? After all, the push to move California away from fossil fuels bolstered Tesla and Musk was a leading innovator in renewable energy. Texas’ lack of regulation may ultimately prove to hurt Musk.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n14. Corporate Subsidies Might Be Different<\/span><\/h2>\nAs part of its move away from fossil fuels, California provided tax credits for clean energy. Many Californians bought Tesla automobiles because they were being subsidized through the government with these tax credits. Moreover, Tesla received credits it was able to sell for a profit. Those subsidies will either be much lower or nonexistent in Texas.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBusiness regulations in California also enabled Musk to secure several low-interest loans that helped him either start new companies or helped his existing businesses remain solvent. What will happen to him in Texas, where he’s unable to receive these benefits? <\/span><\/p>\nMusk may quickly find that California’s regulations, which he’s consistently flouted, were the best thing that ever happened to his companies. Indeed, there were times that the corporate subsidies the state provided were the only thing that kept him solvent.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n13. Others Like Him<\/span><\/h2>\nAT&T, Dell, JC Penny’s, Exxon-Mobil, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Philips 66, and hundreds of other major companies have been in Texas for decades. The oil wealth that came to Texas at the beginning of the twentieth century caused the state to promote policies that would favor businesses, enticing them to relocate. Oil and gas companies, in particular, have thrived in the Lone Star State. <\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFor the past few decades, companies have been moving from crowded cities in the Northeast and California to Texas where it’s much more spacious. So today, if you drive through a major Texas city like Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin in particular, you’ll see the headquarters for many multinational corporations.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n12. Unique Things in Texas<\/span><\/h2>\nMusk’s businesses are built with the idea of moving <\/span>away <\/span><\/em>from the oil and gas that have contributed to California’s heavy regulations and Texas’ oil-based economy. The state won’t likely to offer the same tax credits to residents who buy electric cars to find less of a market for his cars in Texas. <\/span>That may ultimately become a non-issue as Tesla has been growing worldwide. <\/span><\/p>\nIts market share has increased significantly with the collapse of the fossil-fuel industry during 2020 and concerns over climate change. Fewer drivers of Teslas in Texas won’t make much of a difference.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat may become an issue is his eccentric style of doing business. Musk is a true visionary. He gets an idea and then figures out how to turn it into a reality. Along the way, he meets multiple failures, learns from it and then keeps moving. <\/span>Nevertheless, multiple failures costs money. Furthermore, California’s government provided a lot of that money precisely because it has so many regulations. Texas is not likely to be forgiving. True, many high-risk companies have relocated to Texas. However, Musk’s companies are of an entirely different order. He is trying to colonize Mars. The state of Texas is unlikely to help him pay for that.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n11. Some Texans Like Musk<\/span><\/h2>\nTexas’ senator Ted Cruz has tweeted, “Texas loves jobs & we’re very glad to have you as a Texan.” Furthermore, as the world enters a post-covid economy, those jobs will prove to be precious indeed, especially if they are from a car company that does not utilize fossil fuels.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMusk is building a Tesla factory near Austin. With the immense recent growth of Tesla, that factory could employ tens of thousands of people. There is doubt about whether he will continue operating the Fremont factory in California. If he relocates it to Texas, the move will mean another 10,000 jobs. <\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n10. Hesitance Toward Elon Musk’s Move<\/span><\/h2>\nOne concern is that Musk has not been delivering on his promises. He already has two SpaceX facilities in Texas, but they have not provided the employment and economic boom that qA expected. <\/span>Another concern is that many of the jobs created by Musk’s empire may not go to Texans. If the Fremont factory relocates to Texas, many of its workers will likely relocate with it. <\/span><\/p>\nSo, bringing a factory from California to Texas won’t mean added jobs for Texans, but local economies will have to absorb thousands of new residents quickly. Furthermore, other tech companies require highly-skilled people who have to be recruited from all over the country (even worldwide), not from localities. Texas may not see much return on the investment it makes in Musk.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA more local concern is that SpaceX is taking over the small communities of South Texas. One of the facilities is near South Padre Island’s vacation area, spotted with small towns. Those communities are already seeing floods of tourists due to SpaceX, and the city of Harlingen near the Mexico border is seeing many new hotels pop up. <\/span>Some see that massive economic growth as positive and look forward to the rise in tourism. <\/span><\/p>\nBut people who live in tourism economies, such as in Europe and New York, will quickly say that the price an area pays for tourism is sometimes too high. Tourists often have little regard for local culture, and sometimes bring more money to tourism companies than to local economies.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n9. Is Texas Ready For Elon Musk? <\/span><\/h2>\nTexas may soon learn that it is merely unable to adapt to multi-billionaires, especially not those as eccentric as Musk. To be sure, Texas has its own share of billionaires, many of them connected to the state’s gas and oil industry. However, Musk is the second-richest man in the world.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHe starts companies with little more than an idea and government subsidies. Sometimes, those companies succeed. When they do, they succeed very wildly. Nevertheless, others, such as Hyperloop and Neuralink, remain little more than speculation years after their founding. How is a state that is notorious for less business regulations responding when Musk needs a bailout? Texas is attracting a lot of Silicon Valley companies.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n8. Silicon Valley Past Its Prime?<\/span><\/h2>\nSilicon Valley has long been the home of enterprising techies and corporations. However, the place may have passed its prime and is now being plagued with problems related to its massive growth over the past few decades. <\/span>Those problems include inflated property values that make moving there and raising a family quite difficult. While tech workers themselves can sometimes afford the high cost of living because of their generous salaries, the same cannot be said for those who provide services basic to any modern economy.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhen these employees have kids, they need things like daycares and preschools. Daycare teachers often make little more than minimum wage, and even with the higher amount that tech employees can pay, daycare teachers need to be making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year just to make ends meet. <\/span>In other words, the growth of tech companies in Silicon Valley may have been too successful for their own good. People employed by tech companies need more than a job and a house. They need an economy that they can participate in. Yet Silicon Valley is too expensive for a basic economy. <\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n7. Texas’ Relationship With Elon Musk<\/span><\/h2>\nCalifornia proved to be a beneficial place for Musk to begin his companies. The state was willing to provide him with the assistance he needed to keep them solvent during the Great Recession. Furthermore, California’s move away from fossil fuels helped Tesla vehicles become popular there.<\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTexas will undoubtedly be different from California, and that’s the point. The question is if Musk will be able to adapt his style to operate his businesses in a place that does not provide the same corporate subsidies. <\/span><\/p>\nShutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n6. Elon Musk & The Governor<\/span><\/h2>\nMusk’s decision to relocate to Texas was likely unrelated to his public dispute with how California’s governor handled the coronavirus lockdown. There’s no question that Musk and Gavin Newsom did not get along.<\/span><\/p>\n