Elon Musk Pledges Allegiance to San Francisco

Musk will continue to headquarter his social media company X, the rebranded version of Twitter, in San Francisco, according to a recent tweet. 

Since he bought the company in 2022, Musk says he has received multiple offers to move the company’s primary operations out of San Francisco.

Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco.

Moreover, the city is in a doom spiral with one company after another left or leaving.

Therefore, they expect X will move too.

We will not.

You only know who your real friends are when…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2023

Last year, Jim Schwertner, CEO of Schwertner Farms, offered to give Musk 100 acres in Texas if he agreed to move Twitter’s headquarters there. (RELATED: The Twitter Exile)

“Elon Musk, Move Twitter to Schwertner, TX. 38 Miles North of Austin in Williamson County, and we will give you 100 Acres for FREE,” Schwertner tweeted. 

According to Business Insider, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez called many people closely associated with Musk in an attempt to urge him to move Twitter’s headquarters to Miami. Suarez said that Musk’s dedication to making Twitter a free-speech platform aligned with the goals of his city, which, he claimed, “puts a premium on liberty and freedom of expression.” 

San Francisco’s Antagonism Toward Business 

San Francisco has struggled to retain many of its businesses. With over 95 retail stores closing since 2020 and an office vacancy rate of 31 percent — a record-high number for the city — businesses like Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Gap, and H&M have left San Francisco. 

San Francisco’s increasing crime rate also poses a threat to businesses, which have dealt with repeated break-ins and vandalism. Murder and property crimes have also risen since 2019, according to Fox News. The city is poised to lose hundreds of millions of dollars per year as more businesses relocate. 

In June, Musk decried San Francisco’s high crime rates, expressing concern for his employees in San Francisco. 

“Many Twitter employees feel unsafe coming to work in downtown SF and have had their car windows smashed,” Musk tweeted. “They also got such a null response from the police that they rarely even bother reporting crimes anymore because nothing happens.” 

Earlier this year, Musk claimed, “You could literally film a Walking Dead episode unedited in downtown SF.” He blamed San Francisco politics for the city’s decline. 

Twitter, now X, has been headquartered on San Francisco’s Market Street since 2011, and the company’s lease on the building does not expire until 2028. 

While conditions in San Francisco worsen for businesses, for better or for worse, it looks as though X will remain there for the long haul.

Emma Verrigni is a rising sophomore at Hillsdale College studying history and journalism. A member of  The American Spectator’s 2023 intern class, Emma enjoys reading philosophy and the news.

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