OT: Twitter and SpaceX HQs moving to Texas

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onewoof

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The reality is that no matter where you are, the bill always comes due and these cycles repeat themselves all over the place.

Places get popular, the grow, they get mismanaged by greedy people who fail to do upkeep while overspending on other stuff, things go south and the whole process starts over somewhere new.

we will see where Austin is in 50 years
I am bookmarking this and will bring this back up then
 

ronpolk

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Since the 80's Austin has been home to numerous tech companies, and it's grown since then. Less of the crazy arse business restrictions that California has. And as mentioned, younger professionals like to live there for many reasons.
I get why businesses like the environment there. And maybe it’s just generally people following the jobs.

Not that Florida has a growth problem by any means but if I were working for a company that was going to relocate, I’d rather it be somewhere in Florida over Texas. I’m biased I guess because I grew up there but I don’t know why everybody wouldn’t want to live in the Tampa area.
 
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PooPopsBaldHead

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You’re probably right and I really can’t figure out why. What exactly is the draw to Texas? It does have beaches I guess but they are not good. It’s hot as hell. I understand the energy/oil draw to Texas and people involved in that field. But I don’t understand why tech people flock to Texas.
Pros: It's a booming economy and job prospects are good. Lots of commercial entertainment.

Cons: Texas has no public land. Very, very little natural beauty... Especially in the populated portions of the state. There's no water (1 natural lake in the whole state.) The weather is inhospitable at best. And the property taxes/insurance are going to destroy people. Texas property tax increases are capped at 10% a year. But the valuations are already locked in for COVID property value jumps. Many people are looking at a 10% increase in property taxes for the next 5+ years guaranteed. Income won't follow at the same rate. You're guaranteed several years of tax rate increases in TX through the mid 2020's.

Say what you will about CA policies, but it is one of the most beautiful states in the union. And the weather is great. Texas looks and feels like Louisiana and Iraq combined to have a baby... When the urbanization sets in, people get more liberal and the policies will follow. From 1983-2011 CA only had 4 years of a Democrat governor. The blue wave comes fast when all your people are living in multifamily housing and want public transportation/education/housing etc..
 

mstateglfr

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California Will eventually break. So many people leaving. It will fold on itself once their tax base leaves
You seriously think the state is going to break and fold on itself?
That is a bold prediction.

Predict it will slide a bit in economic status because that's certainly possible.
Predict it will shrink a bit in population because that's certainly possible.
But instead of a reasonable prediction, you predict it will break and fold on itself?


Good lord this thread is filled with odd giddiness.
 

mstateglfr

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But yet Biden will give them our tax dollars to bail them out at the last minute.......again.
What are you talking about? Are you referring to the SVB rescue situation or something different?

Blue collar auto workers have benefitted from bailouts.
Blue collar Ag Industry workers have benefitted from bailouts.
White collar bankers have benefitted from bailouts.
Etc etc etc.

The state of California is not near collapse.



Good lord this thread is filled with odd giddiness.
 

Colonel Kang

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California is the single best plot of land on planet Earth from a climate, scenic, soil, agriculture, & diversity of nature standpoint.

If there was a world wide draft on land, California would be drafted 1/1, outside of strategic straits around the world like Gibralter, Hormuz, & Malacca

It's going to take more than some bad laws for filthy rich people to just up & leave that.

FYI, homelessness is typically an issue in places where the weather is so good that you can live outside. Think about it
 

mstateglfr

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Musk moving his companies to TX is one of the least surprising things I've heard in weeks.
I didn't realize SpaceX was headquartered in the Bay Area...just figured it was in TX already.

Good for him- he should move to a city/state where he wants to live and run companies.
Maybe once he is in TX he can finally turn X around and make it worth what he paid for it.
 

DesotoCountyDawg

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Yeah - it’s basically California. Elon’s Twitter rant is going on and on about some trans bill and homeless people in San Francisco. I don’t know if you’ve been to Austin lately, but……

It’s like I got fed up with the Mississippi heat and moved to Georgia.
I didn’t say it was a good move, I just said they make it enticing.
 
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PBDog

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Musk moving his companies to TX is one of the least surprising things I've heard in weeks.
I didn't realize SpaceX was headquartered in the Bay Area...just figured it was in TX already.

Good for him- he should move to a city/state where he wants to live and run companies.
Maybe once he is in TX he can finally turn X around and make it worth what he paid for it.
and how would you know what X is worth and if it has turned around
 

OG Goat Holder

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You’re probably right and I really can’t figure out why. What exactly is the draw to Texas? It does have beaches I guess but they are not good. It’s hot as hell. I understand the energy/oil draw to Texas and people involved in that field. But I don’t understand why tech people flock to Texas.
I don't get it either. I go to DFW quite a bit for work and I think it sucks. At the end of the day, I guess it's just jobs/money. But I like the things @PooPopsBaldHead mentioned, and Texas has hardly any of it. Make a lot of money, and go spend it on restaurants and indoor entertainment, that's about all I see to do. I went to a Rangers game a few weeks ago and the AC (in their freakin' new indoor baseball stadium) almost froze me out.

Not that Florida has a growth problem by any means but if I were working for a company that was going to relocate, I’d rather it be somewhere in Florida over Texas. I’m biased I guess because I grew up there but I don’t know why everybody wouldn’t want to live in the Tampa area.
Yeah I mean if you're going to live in hot weather, may as well have beaches and water around. I was in Tampa last week and much prefer it to DFW.
 
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MStateDawg

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What about the republicans that live there? There's many millions.
This is what a lot of people overlook about California: Over 6 million Californians voted for Trump in the 2020 election (11 million for Biden). That a ton of people (double the population of Mississippi). I wonder how many other Trump voters in California didn't bother to go stand in long poll lines due to the knowledge that their votes wouldn't matter due to the electoral college.
 

retire the banner

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Musk moving his companies to TX is one of the least surprising things I've heard in weeks.
I didn't realize SpaceX was headquartered in the Bay Area...just figured it was in TX already.

Good for him- he should move to a city/state where he wants to live and run companies.
Maybe once he is in TX he can finally turn X around and make it worth what he paid for it.
I imagine Elon is fine with his X investment. He’s accomplished the purpose of why he bought it.
 
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mstateglfr

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and how would you know what X is worth and if it has turned around

I read a financial report and also read musks own comments.
You can dismiss the deposition claim if it makes you feel better, even though it's from a deposition, but dismissing the Fidelity report would be bonkers.

Fidelity, an investment firm that is not a biased news organization, and is a company that helped complete his purchase of Twitter, released a valuation of the company in early 24 that said Twitter head lost 72% of its value since musk bought it.

In September 2023, a news story made its rounds that stated musk valued his company at 90% less than what he bought it for, based on a deposition.
 
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ronpolk

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Pros: It's a booming economy and job prospects are good. Lots of commercial entertainment.

Cons: Texas has no public land. Very, very little natural beauty... Especially in the populated portions of the state. There's no water (1 natural lake in the whole state.) The weather is inhospitable at best. And the property taxes/insurance are going to destroy people. Texas property tax increases are capped at 10% a year. But the valuations are already locked in for COVID property value jumps. Many people are looking at a 10% increase in property taxes for the next 5+ years guaranteed. Income won't follow at the same rate. You're guaranteed several years of tax rate increases in TX through the mid 2020's.

Say what you will about CA policies, but it is one of the most beautiful states in the union. And the weather is great. Texas looks and feels like Louisiana and Iraq combined to have a baby... When the urbanization sets in, people get more liberal and the policies will follow. From 1983-2011 CA only had 4 years of a Democrat governor. The blue wave comes fast when all your people are living in multifamily housing and want public transportation/education/housing etc..
I’ve only been to California a handful of times but you’re right on it being beautiful with great weather. There is no mystery there why people want to live in California.
 

retire the banner

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Yeah - it’s basically California. Elon’s Twitter rant is going on and on about some trans bill and homeless people in San Francisco. I don’t know if you’ve been to Austin lately, but……

It’s like I got fed up with the Mississippi heat and moved to Georgia.
If you consider yourself a levelheaded human and/or you have kids it’s very hard to grasp that you would dilute AB1955 into “some trans bill”. But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you either haven’t given it much critical thought or have no idea what the bill entails.
 

Podgy

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Yeah - it’s basically California. Elon’s Twitter rant is going on and on about some trans bill and homeless people in San Francisco. I don’t know if you’ve been to Austin lately, but……

It’s like I got fed up with the Mississippi heat and moved to Georgia.
The bill bars K-12 teachers and staff from letting parents know about their child's gender transition. Teachers must use the kids preferred pronouns but that information, along with any on the kid's psychological state and treatment in schools, is to be hidden from the kid's parents. That sounds truly f'd-up to me.
 

johnson86-1

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Say what you will about CA policies, but it is one of the most beautiful states in the union. And the weather is great.
California being pretty close to paradise on earth is why the stationary bandits in state and local government can extract so much value.

Most places that operated like California would be forced to change paths or turn into a third world hellscape within a decade or two.
 

johnson86-1

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Always seems odd to leave California for Austin.
Meh, an island of insanity in an otherwise sane state but with relatively ****** weather or an island of insanity in a sea or insanity but with great weather. I can see picking the former if there are tax benefits.

The biggest question to me is whether his stuff in texas is in clay county. They already have a history of "show me the man, I'll show you the crime" type prosecutions and that's what I'd be worried about if I was somebody prominent that openly bucked leftist dogma. Insane politics is a nuisance compared to a corrupt and politicized justice system.
 

Podgy

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Texas may be gaining Elon's business but it's about to lose this productive, reasonable incredibly talented citizen. How will it survive? NSFW
 
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johnson86-1

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The problem is they bring their ****** politics with them
When they follow their job that has been relocated, they bring ****** politics. When they initiate a move, even if it's for a job, on average they tend to make places less crazy.
 

Podgy

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Meh, an island of insanity in an otherwise sane state but with relatively ****** weather or an island of insanity in a sea or insanity but with great weather. I can see picking the former if there are tax benefits.

The biggest question to me is whether his stuff in texas is in clay county. They already have a history of "show me the man, I'll show you the crime" type prosecutions and that's what I'd be worried about if I was somebody prominent that openly bucked leftist dogma. Insane politics is a nuisance compared to a corrupt and politicized justice system.
I like the Austin area. Good restaurants, fun things to do, breweries and wine country. It's progressive and I'm not but I like going to progressive places. Progressive white people talk about diversity and inclusion quite a bit but where they live is often pretty segregated, by race and class, and they keep out poor, trashy people. But their leaders often embrace pathological altruism that screws up cities--defunding the police or embracing policies that increase homelessness and crime. Stop doing that. I like Asheville, N.C.and it's surroundings. It's cool and hip. Don't ruin it
 
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johnson86-1

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You’re probably right and I really can’t figure out why. What exactly is the draw to Texas? It does have beaches I guess but they are not good. It’s hot as hell. I understand the energy/oil draw to Texas and people involved in that field. But I don’t understand why tech people flock to Texas.
The biggest asset in todays economy is people. Places that already have big populations because of an asset in the past (typically one or more of location on a major waterway, good port, natural resources such as oil and gas or iron, etc) have a huge advantage. You look at the major population centers and then eliminate the ones that are constantly stepping on their dicks, and the competition gets smaller. Not sure why Austin became a thing other than the luck of being one of the first tech centers outside of California (I think with Dell?).
 
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Podgy

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California being pretty close to paradise on earth is why the stationary bandits in state and local government can extract so much value.

Most places that operated like California would be forced to change paths or turn into a third world hellscape within a decade or two.
Northern California is a great place to live if you're wealthy and progressive. You're around other rich people and Latina nannies for your kids come cheap and don't live by you. It's tough for the middle classes and poor.
 

HRMSU

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Texas is where California was 30-40 years ago. Texas is the new California and very few recognize it yet.
Hispanics are more conservative in TX than they ever were in CA. I think they'll continue to move center right.
 

johnson86-1

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Texas may be gaining Elon's business but it's about to lose this productive, reasonable incredibly talented citizen. How will it survive? NSFW

Man, some of that stuff would sound unattractive on its own, but put in the context of making people like her not want to live there, it kind of makes it sound pretty attractive.
 
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L4Dawg

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Pros: It's a booming economy and job prospects are good. Lots of commercial entertainment.

Cons: Texas has no public land. Very, very little natural beauty... Especially in the populated portions of the state. There's no water (1 natural lake in the whole state.) The weather is inhospitable at best. And the property taxes/insurance are going to destroy people. Texas property tax increases are capped at 10% a year. But the valuations are already locked in for COVID property value jumps. Many people are looking at a 10% increase in property taxes for the next 5+ years guaranteed. Income won't follow at the same rate. You're guaranteed several years of tax rate increases in TX through the mid 2020's.

Say what you will about CA policies, but it is one of the most beautiful states in the union. And the weather is great. Texas looks and feels like Louisiana and Iraq combined to have a baby... When the urbanization sets in, people get more liberal and the policies will follow. From 1983-2011 CA only had 4 years of a Democrat governor. The blue wave comes fast when all your people are living in multifamily housing and want public transportation/education/housing etc..
You really don't like Texas do you.
 
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IBleedMaroonDawg

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People get wrapped up in Austin. The area around Austin and San Antonio is becoming lucrative to developers and businesses. Elon already has an underground project between here and San Antonio and a car plant here in Austin over at the main toll road between here and San Antonio. Austin still seems to be very attractive. It won't be another ten years. Some companies already started moving out.

Regarding the weather, if you can handle hot as a furnace in summer, you have over 300 days of sunshine in the year, and you rarely have snow days.

There are new urban projects everywhere you look. I moved up here to get away from downtown when all I had to do was wait a little longer for them to move out here with me.
 

HRMSU

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Man, some of that stuff would sound unattractive on its own, but put in the context of making people like her not want to live there, it kind of makes it sound pretty attractive.
I split time working in Arlington and Plano for 5 years. Had to commute about 1 hour to both locations. Plano drive was almost exclusively tollway and Arlington was freeway. I literally never saw a wreck on the tollway in 5 years but the freeway had multiple wrecks and lanes blocked weekly. I happily paid the toll and I'm grateful that I had the ability to do so.
 
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pseudonym

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Texas may be gaining Elon's business but it's about to lose this productive, reasonable incredibly talented citizen. How will it survive? NSFW

The California government can earn my respect if they make her their spokesperson and just run weekly ads of her talking **** about Texas.
 
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ckDOG

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They unfortunately get the government that the majority of voters deserve also.
Thems the rules. Things get better. Things get worse. We react and life goes on. All good criticizing CA policies. There's plenty to criticize and praise. I've criticized Desantis on his Disney culture war stuff. I still want both CA and FL to thrive.
 
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