Tesla's move to Texas came after California legislator tweeted 'f-k Elon Musk'

Tesla CEO Elon Musk talks during a tour of the plant of the future foundry of a Tesla Gigafactory on August 13, 2021 near Berlin.Patrick Pleul/Getty Images

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed Friday that his company’s move to Texas was, in part, inspired by a California lawmaker's incendiary tweet to him.


The tweet in question? “F—k Elon Musk,” from progressive California Assemblywoman Lorena S. Gonzalez.

Musk's confirmation came in response to a fawning Tesla blog post, claiming that “Musk selflessly tried to resist the actions of the government” by reopening a Fremont factory in violation of Alameda County’s COVID-19 precautions in 2020. For context, Musk sued the county over the stay-at-home order that shut down the company's factory, and dropped the suit 11 days later.

The Tesla fan blog — headlined "Tesla Moved its HQ to Texas Following Explicit Offer from California Assemblywoman" — calls out Gonzalez for tweeting out an expletive to Musk, saying the tweet "indicates serious problems in the apparatus of the state."

Exactly— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2021

Musk tweeted, in response to the article and its headline, “Exactly.”

Gonzalez was nonplussed, tweeting that the CEO “makes too much of his money from taxpayer subsidies in CA to pull out." This comment is in reference to the fact that Tesla will keep its California factories.

“And, yes, he’s still awful,” she added on Twitter. “Worth $200 billion & left his janitors hanging during the pandemic.”

She later tweeted screenshots of her being harassed on Twitter and Instagram by Tesla enthusiasts.

In a press conference that took place in Oakland Friday, in which he praised Musk for "his entrepreneurial spirit," California Gov. Gavin Newsom chimed in on Gonzalez’s comment.

“I receive tweets like that probably on an hourly basis and I’m staying here and I love this state,” Newsom said, per Politico reporter Jeremy B. White. And, for what it's worth, Newsom also defended the state's tax for businesses like Tesla.

Tesla move came after Calif. legislator tweeted 'f-k Elon Musk' (sfgate.com)