ATLANTA — Tesla's founder is tweeting about Georgia while threatening to move his factory out of California.
Georgia’s economic development office won't confirm or deny that they are courting Tesla. That's because they don't comment on sensitive economic development projects like this would be.
More than 10,000 people work at Tesla's California manufacturing plant.
In his war with local and state leaders over reopening during this pandemic, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has not only threatened to move but made clear he's paying attention to Georgia by tweeting about Georgia reopening its businesses.
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Wire service Reuters is reporting that Georgia is one of several states that have pitched Tesla about moving.
State leaders won't comment on that, but Georgia’s commissioner of economic development, Pat Wilson, told us in a statement quote:
“At the highest levels, CEOs and business leaders across the world are paying attention to states’ operations during COVID-19…. From automotive companies that are already here such as Mercedes, Porsche and Kia, to those that might be looking for a new location, we are doing everything we can to support our businesses and ensure they can operate safely and successfully.”
Mark Williams of Strategic Development Group has helped automakers like BMW and Nissan select sites for new plants. He says one of the biggest factors for companies like Tesla is how states respond during emergencies like this one.
"These companies want to be backed up in the future when something happens. it can be a variety of things; it can be weather-related, labor-related, they don’t know," Williams said.
Some states are being more overt. Colorado's governor tweeted Musk, asking him to move the plant there.
But Georgia's leaders are sticking to doing things quietly.
In recent years, Kia has opened a manufacturing plant in Georgia, and BMW and Porsche both moved their North American headquarters here.
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