Looks like Tesla founder Elon Musk wasn’t exaggerating when he tweeted that he would abandon California for a more business-friendly state like Texas or Nevada. Electrek, a news site focused on the electric vehicle industry, quotes an inside source as saying Tesla’s next factory will be in or near Austin, Texas.
In his tweet, Musk said he would move Tesla’s “HQ and future programs” out of California “immediately”.”
The new plant will build the Tesla Cybertruck electric pickup truck and the Model Y, according to Electek’s source. And the timeline for the plant is almost impossibly short, with vehicles shipping by the end of 2020.
Tesla HQ2?
Could Austin also become the new headquarters Musk threatened? There’s no indication of that yet, but the city is a huge center for tech talent. CompTIA’s Tech Town Index ranks Austin as the top city in the nation for IT jobs. With no state income tax and less costly housing than the Bay Area, it seems plausible that Austin could at least become a secondary headquarters location.
Even if the primary Tesla headquarters doesn’t move, a robust Austin presence would allow the firm to attract talent more easily and provide an outlet for beleaguered Bay Area staff looking for change.
