X to close flagship San Francisco Office
X, the social media company owned by Elon Musk, plans to shut its San Francisco office “over the next few weeks,” according to an internal email obtained by The New York Times.
In the email, which X’s chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, sent to employees on Monday, the company said workers would move to existing offices in San Jose, Calif. X will also open an engineering-focused office in Palo Alto, Calif., which it will share with xAI, the artificial intelligence outfit owned by Mr. Musk, the email said.
“This is an important decision that impacts many of you, but it is the right one for our company in the long term,” Ms. Yaccarino wrote to employees.
Mr. Musk announced last month that the company would be moving its headquarters to Texas after California passed legislation that prohibits schools from requiring parents to be notified if a child changes gender. Musk, who had a turbulent relationship with California, stated that this legislation would “force companies and families to leave California in order to protect their kids.”
X was founded in San Francisco, California in 2006. In 2012, it moved its headquarters from the city’s Mid-Market district to a new location after striking a deal for a payroll-tax break with local lawmakers. Twitter became a symbol of the city’s tech industry, as companies like Uber also moved into the neighborhood.
Since Mr. Musk bought Twitter in 2022, the company has skipped rent payments to Shorenstein, the real estate company that manages X’s office building at 1355 Market Street. X also tried to cut costs by turning some of the space into bedrooms for traveling employees.
Mr. Musk and a representative from X have not responded to requests for comments. Shorenstein’s spokeswoman declined to comment.
