Expert Warns: California Taxes Harming “Big Wealth Driver in the State” as Billionaires Flee
Expert Warns: California Taxes Harming “Big Wealth Driver in the State” as Billionaires Flee
Rich DupreyFri, June 19, 2026 at 12:46 PM UTC
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Columbia professor Michael Ewens warns California's high taxes threaten entrepreneurial decision-making, which he calls the state's single biggest wealth driver.
Billionaires including Musk, Zuckerberg, and Page have fled California, while Tesla, Chevron, and Schwab moved headquarters to tax-free Texas.
ExxonMobil abandoned New Jersey after 144 years for Texas, proving California isn't the only high-tax state hemorrhaging major corporations.
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The competition between states for talent, capital, and businesses has intensified over the past decade. Remote work, lower moving costs, and the rise of digital businesses have made it easier than ever for entrepreneurs to choose where they live and build companies.
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Investors have watched as states with lower taxes and more business-friendly policies attracted both corporations and wealthy individuals from traditional economic powerhouses. California remains home to Silicon Valley and some of the world's most valuable companies, but growing evidence suggests its tax structure may be testing the limits of that advantage.
Entrepreneurship Is California's Wealth Machine
California has long enjoyed a remarkable economic formula. The state combines world-class universities, venture capital networks, and a deep pool of engineering talent that has produced companies ranging from Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Google to Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB).
That ecosystem creates enormous wealth. Yet as Michael Ewens, a professor of finance at Columbia Business School, told CNBC, policymakers should be mindful of how taxes influence entrepreneurial behavior over time.
"That's not a point that California should lower its taxes now, but I think it has to keep in mind that taxes have longer-term consequences for people's entrepreneurial decision-making, and that's a big wealth driver in the state."
That observation gets to the heart of the issue. California's economic success depends on entrepreneurs taking risks, founding companies, and eventually generating the next wave of jobs, investment, and tax revenue. If those entrepreneurs increasingly choose to build elsewhere, the long-term consequences could outweigh short-term tax collections.
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A 13.3% tax gap triggers a billionaire exodus, threatening to stall California's world-class economic engine. © 24/7 Wall St.
The Billionaire Exodus Keeps Growing
Several high-profile billionaires have relocated their primary residences outside California in recent years, including Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk.
The trend extends beyond tech founders. Former Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) CEO Travis Kalanick, Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Chairman Larry Ellison, podcast host Joe Rogan, actor Mark Wahlberg, and actor Sylvester Stallone have also established residency elsewhere.
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Major corporations have made similar moves:
Company
Headquarters Relocation
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)
California to Texas
Chevron (NYSE:CVX)
California to Texas
Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW)
California to Texas
The appeal is straightforward. Texas levies no state income tax, while California's top marginal income tax rate reaches 13.3%.
Granted, taxes are rarely the only reason someone relocates. Housing costs, regulations, labor markets, and quality of life all play a role. Yet when multiple billionaires and Fortune 500 companies reach similar conclusions, investors should pay attention.
Other States Are Winning the Competition
California is not the only high-tax state facing these pressures.
New Jersey lost one of its most prominent corporate residents when ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) changed its legal domicile to Texas last month after 144 years. Meanwhile, Delaware's long-standing dominance as the preferred state of incorporation has also come under pressure.
In the past two years, Tesla, SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX), Meta Platforms, and Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) have all pursued or completed moves of their state of incorporation away from Delaware in favor of jurisdictions viewed as more favorable to management and business operations.
Surprisingly, this trend isn't solely about tax rates. It reflects a broader search for regulatory predictability and a business climate perceived as more supportive of growth. For entrepreneurs deciding where to launch a startup today, those factors matter just as much as access to capital.
Key Takeaway
In short, California still possesses advantages few states can match. It remains the center of venture capital, technology innovation, and startup formation. But those strengths are not guaranteed forever.
The warning from Ewens is less about today's tax receipts and more about tomorrow's entrepreneurs. If founders increasingly conclude they can build companies more efficiently in Texas, Florida, Nevada, or other business-friendly states, California risks weakening one of its most powerful economic engines.
Ultimately, investors should watch where entrepreneurs choose to live, build, and incorporate. Capital tends to follow opportunity, and states competing for the next generation of wealth creators understand that reality all too well.
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Source: “AOL Money”
