The world’s richest person, Elon Musk, is hanging his newly acquired cowboy hat in Texas.
Musk is bringing with him manufacturing jobs, high tech innovation and social media fascist-curious pizzazz that many in the state welcome.
The South African native shunned California when he picked Texas to build his Mars bound spaceport and the world’s largest electric car factory.
And that’s not all. Musk is also plotting to revolutionize ground transportation by digging a network of intracity tunnels. And he’s currently mapping out his own city with the help of Kanye West.
But what might give his Texas supporters pause is learning that Musk’s core initiative is to save humanity from climate change by ending the need for oil.
This is something the state’s petroleum-promoting GOP leadership doesn’t love.
Also, Musk is dead set against car dealerships and won’t allow Tesla to adopt that traditional sales model.
Car dealerships are enshrined and protected in Texas law, and this is why its unlawful to buy a new Tesla in Texas.
Guest: Russell Gold, journalist for Texas Monthly. He was previously an investigative reporter for The Wall Street Journal and the San Antonio Express-News and suburban correspondent for The Philadelphia Inquirer.He is the author of The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World.
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*This interview will be recorded on Thursday, March 16.
What’s Elon Musk’s plan for Texas? Is he here to embrace the state’s free-wheeling low regulation business atmosphere or is he here to upend the state?Texas Monthly’s Russell Gold joins us to discuss his article,”Elon Musk Came to Texas to End the Oil Age.”