‘No choice’ but to shut X San Francisco office – Elon Musk

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Elon Musk announced in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he has “no choice” but to relocate the social platform’s flagship office out of San Francisco.

This announcement followed a New York Times report about an email from X’s chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, to staff, stating that the office would be closing, with employees moving to San Jose and Palo Alto.

This decision comes just weeks after Musk indicated plans to move X and his rocket company, SpaceX, to Texas.

Musk cited recent state laws as the reason for the move, specifically a new law that prevents schools from making rules requiring staff to disclose information about a child’s gender identity to anyone, including parents.

“No choice. It is impossible to operate in San Francisco if you’re processing payments,” the technology entrepreneur said on X.

“That’s why Stripe, Block (CashApp) & others had to move,” he added, hinting that it was local laws that triggered his decision.

X did not immediately reply to a BBC News request for comment.

In July, the multi-billionaire said the offices of X and SpaceX would move to Texas, after California introduced the new gender identity law.

At the time, Mr Musk called it “the last straw” in a post on X.

In response, California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X, “You bent the knee,” along with a screenshot of a 2022 post from former President Donald Trump criticizing the billionaire.

In 2022, Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion (£34.4 billion) and immediately began implementing changes at the company, including cutting jobs and reducing content moderation on the platform.

Musk moved Tesla’s headquarters to Texas in 2021 and is a resident of the state, which has no income tax.