Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed his support for Elon Musk moving Twitter's headquarters to the Sunshine State.
With one condition he wants the "woke" employees to stay behind. In an interview with Newsmax's Benny Johnson, DeSantis stated, "I don't know, I mean, I know Elon and basically, what I would tell him is like, ok, if you're going to move Twitter to Florida, are you bringing woke employees to Florida or are you bringing just your people."
Over the past few years, Florida has seen an increase in conservatism, with people and businesses leaving their Democratic states for the "anti-woke" coastal beach towns under Governor DeSantis' administration. DeSantis told Johnson that if Musk were to bring "just his people," the relocation might be beneficial. He added, "And he did fire a lot of people at Twitter."
Elon Musk announced earlier this month that 80 percent of Twitter employees have either been fired or resigned since he officially took over as the platform's owner last fall. Governor DeSantis remains cautious about the potential relocation of Twitter's headquarters, as he is concerned about the best interests of Floridians.
He referred to places like Silicon Valley as "intellectual cocoons" where "woke ideology infuses everything," according to Florida Voice News.
DeSantis explained that this ideology has been "exported" through social platforms worldwide, negatively affecting politics and culture. He praised Musk for trying to steer Twitter back towards facts and truth instead of promoting ideology and censoring conflicting beliefs.
DeSantis stated, "So I really applaud him for taking on Twitter trying to [move] it back towards facts and truth, and stop to always parrot the ideology and trying to censor beliefs that conflict with it."
In a recent speech at a summit hosted by the Heritage Foundation, Governor DeSantis discussed the dangers of corporatism about his ongoing battle with Disney. This experience has fueled his skepticism towards the Big Tech giant potentially moving to Florida.
DeSantis argued that it is not conservative to defer to every corporation in America, as it would make one a corporatist. He said, "I just think as conservatives, you know, it's not conservative to just simply defer to every corporation in America. That's being a corporatist."
The governor explained that he had to confront Disney to ensure that Florida is governed appropriately and that the rule of law is advanced. DeSantis highlighted the unprecedented privileges and subsidies enjoyed by Disney in Central Florida, including control over their government, exemption from laws others must follow, tax breaks, and the ability to accrue debt. He added, "No single entity or individual in the state of Florida enjoyed such privileges."
Elon Musk has not yet commented on the possibility of moving Twitter's headquarters from Silicon Valley to Florida. However, the idea has circulated online after Musk publicly criticized San Francisco and its crime-ridden city, negatively affecting his business and employees.
In December 2022, Musk hinted at relocating to Austin, Texas, as San Francisco's far-left politics could hinder the company's ability to fulfill its commitment to free speech the reason he purchased the platform in the first place.
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