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Tesla’s move to Texas labeled ‘betrayal’ of California, a way to escape paying taxes
Upon moving from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, critics and fans of Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk have mixed opinions about the move. Tesla enthusiasts might have seen it coming all along, especially after California politicians spewed profanities in the direction of the CEO, whose company has already provided an influx of employment opportunities to its new Texas market. However, without darkness, there would not be light, and there are plenty of people who are widely skeptical of Tesla’s recent decision to move its Headquarters to Austin from Fremont. However, the reasons for the move are being labeled as a betrayal of California and its workers, even though Tesla has no intentions to move any of its facilities out of the Golden State. Additionally, a commonly spread myth about all billionaires attempting to avoid paying taxes is also being thrown into the mix, further adding fuel to a fire that doesn’t really need to exist.
A recent article from the San Antonio Express-News indicates that Musk and Tesla have betrayed its California workers who have built the electric automaker from a longshot success story to the most highly-valued car company on Earth. Despite the reasoning from the article’s author, which misses the point of Tesla’s move, the narrative that Elon Musk is some sort of evil super villain sitting in a large chair with excessive lumbar support sitting in a billionaire’s palace scheming new reasons to get ahead while squishing the “average Joe” seems to appear out of nowhere. Even though Musk’s entire vision was to help avert a climate crisis and revolutionize the automotive industry, some people still seem to be convinced he is a man with horrible intentions. Still, the South African-born CEO was essentially driven out of California by its own people of authority. They asked, he granted, and now Musk is still being painted as the bad guy.
The assumption that Musk is forcing Tesla and its several manufacturing plants, logistics facilities, design studios out of California and shoving them to the Lone Star State is a common misconception amongst those who genuinely believe his mission is to make money and avoid paying his fair share of taxes. The thing is: If Musk was someone with this sort of agenda, would he have sold many of his residences? Would he be living part-time in a $50,000 home in Starbase, Texas to help with SpaceX projects? Would he be making portions of the company’s Fremont facility in Northern California permanent? Probably not.
Musk has responded to inquiries in the past about his taxes, stating that most of his net worth is tied up in Tesla stock. He pays taxes proportionate to his time in California and has never cashed a paycheck from Tesla, which is the state-required minimum payment. “It just ends up accumulating in a Tesla bank account somewhere,” he said to the New York Times several years ago.
On top of the other accusations made in the San Antonio Express-News piece, let’s not forget about Musk’s treatment from Lorena Gonzalez, a California State Assemblywoman who famously Tweeted “F*** Elon Musk” in May 2020. Musk evidently took the message as an invitation to test Tesla’s appreciation elsewhere, and Texas was more than willing to invite the electric automaker to establish its new base in Austin.
Message received
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2020
Before Musk is labeled a traitor and Tesla a medium of betrayal to California and its workers, let’s not forget that Telsa’s presence in California isn’t disappearing. Let’s not forget all that Tesla has contributed to the economy and environment in California. And let’s not forget that Musk was encouraged by California’s politicians to seek another place for work.
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Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving pricing strategy will eliminate one recurring complaint that many owners have had in the past: FSD transfers.
In the past, if a Tesla owner purchased the Full Self-Driving suite outright, the company did not allow them to transfer the purchase to a new vehicle, essentially requiring them to buy it all over again, which could obviously get pretty pricey.
This was until Q3 2023, when Tesla allowed a one-time amnesty to transfer Full Self-Driving to a new vehicle, and then again last year.
Tesla is now allowing it to happen again ahead of the February 14th deadline.
The program has given people the opportunity to upgrade to new vehicles with newer Hardware and AI versions, especially those with Hardware 3 who wish to transfer to AI4, without feeling the drastic cost impact of having to buy the $8,000 suite outright on several occasions.
Now, that issue will never be presented again.
Last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on X that the Full Self-Driving suite would only be available in a subscription platform, which is the other purchase option it currently offers for FSD use, priced at just $99 per month.
Tesla is shifting FSD to a subscription-only model, confirms Elon Musk
Having it available in a subscription-only platform boasts several advantages, including the potential for a tiered system that would potentially offer less expensive options, a pay-per-mile platform, and even coupling the program with other benefits, like Supercharging and vehicle protection programs.
While none of that is confirmed and is purely speculative, the one thing that does appear to be a major advantage is that this will completely eliminate any questions about transferring the Full Self-Driving suite to a new vehicle. This has been a particular point of contention for owners, and it is now completely eliminated, as everyone, apart from those who have purchased the suite on their current vehicle.
Now, everyone will pay month-to-month, and it could make things much easier for those who want to try the suite, justifying it from a financial perspective.
The important thing to note is that Tesla would benefit from a higher take rate, as more drivers using it would result in more data, which would help the company reach its recently-revealed 10 billion-mile threshold to reach an Unsupervised level. It does not cost Tesla anything to run FSD, only to develop it. If it could slice the price significantly, more people would buy it, and more data would be made available.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y continued to overwhelmingly dominate the United States’ electric vehicle market in 2025. New sales data showed that Tesla’s two mass market cars maintained a commanding segment share, with the Model 3 posting year-to-date growth and the Model Y remaining resilient despite factory shutdowns tied to its refresh.
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Model 3 and Model Y are still dominant
According to the report, Tesla delivered an estimated 192,440 Model 3 sedans in the United States in 2025, representing a 1.3% year-to-date increase compared to 2024. The Model 3 alone accounted for 15.9% of all U.S. EV sales, making it one of the highest-volume electric vehicles in the country.
The Model Y was even more dominant. U.S. deliveries of the all-electric crossover reached 357,528 units in 2025, a 4.0% year-to-date decline from the prior year. It should be noted, however, that the drop came during a year that included production shutdowns at Tesla’s Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas as the company transitioned to the new Model Y. Even with those disruptions, the Model Y captured an overwhelming 39.5% share of the market, far surpassing any single competitor.
Combined, the Model 3 and Model Y represented more than half of all EVs sold in the United States during 2025, highlighting Tesla’s iron grip on the country’s mass-market EV segment.
Tesla’s challenges in 2025
Tesla’s sustained performance came amid a year of elevated public and political controversy surrounding Elon Musk, whose political activities in the first half of the year ended up fueling a narrative that the CEO’s actions are damaging the automaker’s consumer appeal. However, U.S. sales data suggest that demand for Tesla’s core vehicles has remained remarkably resilient.
Based on Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report, Tesla’s most expensive offerings such as the Tesla Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X, all saw steep declines in 2025. This suggests that mainstream EV buyers might have had a price issue with Tesla’s more expensive offerings, not an Elon Musk issue.
Ultimately, despite broader EV market softness, with total U.S. EV sales slipping about 2% year-to-date, Tesla still accounted for 58.9% of all EV deliveries in 2025, according to the report. This means that out of every ten EVs sold in the United States in 2025, more than half of them were Teslas.
News
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y earn Euro NCAP Best in Class safety awards
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Tesla won dual categories in the Euro NCAP Best in Class awards, with the Model 3 being named the safest Large Family Car and the Model Y being recognized as the safest Small SUV.
The feat was highlighted by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
Model 3 and Model Y lead their respective segments
As per a press release from the Euro NCAP, the organization’s Best in Class designation is based on a weighted assessment of four key areas: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist. Only vehicles that achieved a 5-star Euro NCAP rating and were evaluated with standard safety equipment are eligible for the award.
Euro NCAP noted that the updated Tesla Model 3 performed particularly well in Child Occupant protection, while its Safety Assist score reflected Tesla’s ongoing improvements to driver-assistance systems. The Model Y similarly stood out in Child Occupant protection and Safety Assist, reinforcing Tesla’s dual-category win.
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Euro NCAP leadership shares insights
Euro NCAP Secretary General Dr. Michiel van Ratingen said the organization’s Best in Class awards are designed to help consumers identify the safest vehicles over the past year.
Van Ratingen noted that 2025 was Euro NCAP’s busiest year to date, with more vehicles tested than ever before, amid a growing variety of electric cars and increasingly sophisticated safety systems. While the Mercedes-Benz CLA ultimately earned the title of Best Performer of 2025, he emphasized that Tesla finished only fractionally behind in the overall rankings.
“It was a close-run competition,” van Ratingen said. “Tesla was only fractionally behind, and new entrants like firefly and Leapmotor show how global competition continues to grow, which can only be a good thing for consumers who value safety as much as style, practicality, driving performance, and running costs from their next car.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving pricing strategy eliminates one recurring complaint
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
