Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Thursday took aim at Governor Gavin Newsom (D) amid the California wealth tax row that aims to levy a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of the state’s billionaire residents.

Might Happen

User @beffjezos took to the social media platform X, sharing an AI-generated video of a SpaceX rocket preparing for launch and a passenger holding a ticket for the ride to Mars, dated 2059.

Read Also: Kevin O'Leary Calls California 'Worst Managed State,' Says Wealth Tax Plan Is 'Unconstitutional,' Will Drive Exodus

“POV: it’s 2036, Gavin Newsom has ruined the United States and you decide to leave the planet forever instead of dealing with yearly wealth taxes,” the user said in the post’s caption.

Responding to the post, Musk took a sarcastic swipe at Newsom. “Might actually happen,” he said in the post. Relations between the pair have seemingly soured, with Newsom calling Musk one of the “great” disappointments, while adding that California was instrumental in helping Musk’s projects succeed with a favorable policy environment.

California’s Wealth Tax Criticism

The proposed wealth tax has seen widespread criticism, with investor Chamath Palihapitiya claiming that the tax could eventually apply to most California residents and be expanded without voter approval.

Despite this, NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang urged people to come to the state despite California’s high-tax environment. He also urged people to stay in the Golden State despite billionaires moving out.

However, the proposal’s backers claimed that they had amassed enough signatures and shared that the tax would be going to the ballot as the proposal had gathered more than 1.5 million signatures, far exceeding the required 875,000 signatures which were required.

SpaceX’s New Filings Show Musk’s Voter Strength

Meanwhile, SpaceX’s filings have shared that shareholders within the company wouldn’t be able to fire Musk from his position as the CEO of the commercial space flight company without his consent.

This is because the SpaceX IPO dual-class share structure, which would divide shares into Class A and Class B, each of which would be equal to 10 votes when making corporate decisions.

Read Also: Musk Thinks $10 Trillion SpaceX Package Would Be A 'Good Deal' But Warns Dollars Could Become Obsolete As Humanity Reaches Kardashev II Civilization

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