Photo: Alamy
Tesla CEO Elon Musk celebrated the grand opening of a Tesla factory in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, at Giga Texas in Travis County. According to a My San Antonio (MYSA) report, the event was dubbed a “Cyber Rodeo” and included 15,000 invitees greeted by techno music, food trucks, and rollerblading dancers.
The party, which was eclectic and energetic, signaled the arrival of Musk’s manufacturing division in the Midwest. Musk made statements last year that he would also be selling his last remaining homes in California. “Btw, I will continue to pay income taxes in California proportionate to my time in the state, which is & will be significant,” he said last June.
Interestingly, Musk’s move to expand production in Texas comes on the heels of tightening coronavirus restrictions and rising taxes in the Golden State, mirroring the reaction of many Americans who have been fleeing restrictive blue states in favor of freer red ones.
According to the MYSA report, Musk arrived on stage at the Giga Texas party event in a black Tesla, emerging from the vehicle wearing a cowboy hat. He was greeted by the screams of thousands of excited electric car super fans. “Why Austin?” Musk told the crowd. “California’s great, and we’re continuing to expand in California, but we ran out of room. We need a place where we can be really big, and there’s no place like Texas.”
Musk made waves this week when he shocked the world by becoming Twitter’s largest shareholder, acquiring a 9.2 percent stake in the company following his criticisms of its censorship policies.
Additionally, Twitter’s chief executive, Parag Agrawal, announced that Musk would be appointed to Twitter’s board of directors, leading many to speculate on whether or not Musk will work to restore free speech on the social media platform.
Musk tweeted on Friday, “Great work by Tesla Texas Team!! Built & delivered first Giga Texas production cars & threw a killer opening party.”