New York: Elon Musk’s X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has officially announced the closure date of its San Francisco headquarters, signaling the end of an era for the company that has been a cornerstone of the city’s tech scene for nearly two decades.
When Will X Headquarters Close Permanently?
According to a report by Fortune, the headquarters will permanently close on Friday, September 13. Employees were informed of the decision through an internal memo circulated on Thursday. This closure comes as part of Musk’s broader strategy to relocate the company’s operations to Texas. In addition to X, Musk is also planning to move the headquarters of his space exploration company, SpaceX, to Texas.
Twitter, which launched in San Francisco in 2006, initially established its headquarters at 164 South Park Ave. The company played a pivotal role in the tech boom that transformed San Francisco into a global hub for innovation, significantly shaping the digital landscape of social media. However, under Musk’s ownership, the company has undergone considerable changes, including the decision to leave California.
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Why Is Musk Moving X Headquarters?
The decision to relocate X’s headquarters from California to Texas is influenced by several factors. In July, Musk announced his intention to move both X and SpaceX, citing a recently enacted California law as a significant reason. This law prohibits school districts from requiring schools to inform parents if their children request to be referred to by a different pronoun.
“This is the final straw,” Musk declared when announcing the decision to move X’s headquarters to Austin, Texas, and SpaceX to Starbase, Texas. “Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas,” he added in a post on X.
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For employees of X, the closure of the San Francisco headquarters and the impending move to Texas represent substantial adjustments. According to a separate report by Fortune, workers had not been previously informed of when they would be expected to relocate, and no specific timeframe was provided in the internal communications.
Musk also expressed his dissatisfaction with the conditions surrounding X’s current headquarters on San Francisco’s mid-Market Street. He highlighted concerns about “gangs of violent drug addicts” that employees had to navigate “just to get in and out of the building.”
