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Comment by justinzollars | Hacker News Reader

The most significant thing he said in this interview was probably on the regulatory burden that California businesses have to deal with. He compared regulatory creep to a frog boiling slowly in water. He also indicated his 2 companies Tesla and SpaceX are the last - automotive and aerospace companies in California, a state that was once a leader.

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> He also indicated his 2 companies Tesla and SpaceX are the last - automotive and aerospace companies in California, a state that was once a leader.

Except it isn't true. Other companies still make rockets in SoCal. For example Areojet Rocketdyne is still headquartered in El Segundo (next to LAX). They made the main engine for the Space Shuttle and are currently still making it for the upcoming SLS.

Yeah and Relativity and the Spaceship Company and several others. There is a huge talent base in SoCal, between LA/Long Beach and Mojave.

Do you have a cite for them making rockets (not just engines) in CA? I glanced at their 10-K from last year and they talk about moving some of their production from CA to AR and VA.

While you are correct, Elon's point is about "the writing on the wall" and in that, he's on point. Other than the small (OK, small-ish, given Virgin Orbit) startups, most aerospace companies are leaving CA or not bothering to incorporate there.

So much modern aerospace technology historically comes from SoCal, and yet CA as a state doesn't seem to care about hanging on to world-changing industries like it.

Your example about Aerojet Rocketdyne is telling. They are contracting - I believe the Aerojet facilities in Sacramento are being divested if that's not already done. Boeing is divesting most of its Huntington Beach campus, and Rockwell in Downey is long-gone. A lot of Space Shuttle Main Engine/RS-25 work is done at their Stennis facilities or in Huntsville.

Aerospace in CA is not healthy.

Areojet Rocketdyne also gets 100s of million per engine because they live of massive SLS pork. They will produce a very small number of engines. Comparing that to what SpaceX is doing is a bit ridiculous.

You know SpaceX gets just as much money from the government, right? Actually a lot more. SpaceX wouldn't exist without government funding.

Its not the amount of money I'm complaining about but the amount of money compared to the services rendered. SpaceX has an amazing track record in terms of that.

The pork of the SLS program and the RS-25 program has been well document.

Weird thing for him to complaint about "regulations", considering said regulations helped kick start the electric car industry and saved his car company. The 7.5k fed credit, the 2500 CA tax credit, mandated charging stations, solar subsidies, HOV sticker, upcoming mpg mandate - all of this was necessary to support Tesla. I literally bought electric for the HOV sticker that comes with it. I feel like I am losing respect for Elon everyday, even though I own two Teslas.

> He also indicated his 2 companies Tesla and SpaceX are the last - automotive and aerospace companies in California, a state that was once a leader.

How much of that is because of regulatory creep, and how much is because California has brought in even-more-valuable industries that have cranked up the cost structure, in turn pushing out manufacturing industry?

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