Downward angle icon Downward angle icon. Elon Musk said he plans to move SpaceX from California to Texas. CHANDAN KHANNA/Getty Images The French aerospace company has seen a surge in US-based applications since targeting SpaceX employees. Latitude, a rocket company based outside Paris, is trying to attract SpaceX employees. Elon Musk announced earlier this month that he was moving SpaceX from California to Texas.
The French aerospace company is trying to convince disgruntled U.S. SpaceX employees to leave the U.S. for Europe after billionaire Elon Musk announced he was moving his rocket company from California to Texas.
The proposal comes days after Musk announced his intention to move SpaceX out of California after the state passed a law protecting LGBTQ+ youth, which Musk described as a “seal of victory” in a Twitter post.
Latitude CEO Stanislas Maximin jumped at the chance to poach disgruntled SpaceX employees who were suddenly faced with an interstate relocation.
In his LinkedIn post, Maximin addressed these employees directly, urging SpaceX employees who may not be a “good fit” with Musk’s values and want to join an “inclusive, highly ambitious rocket company” to consider Latitude.
“Of course, we also build small rockets, but with high performance engines, full reusability and high launch rates,” Maximin wrote. “You will be able to show the world your technology.”
The CEO offered the applicants attractive terms, saying the company would take care of “everything,” including moving arrangements, visas, healthcare, housing, partner employment, and children’s education.
“Several people have already taken the plunge and come to Latitude – please join us!” Maximin wrote. “I will personally offer 12 bottles of champagne to everyone who makes this decision!”
Musk’s pitch may already be working, according to CNBC Make It, which reported this week that Latitude has seen a surge in applications from American engineers since Musk’s announcement and Maximin’s pitch.
A Latitude spokesperson told the outlet that the company received a month’s worth of applications last week, with 89% of them coming from applicants based in the U.S. Top U.S. companies included SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin and Tesla, the spokesperson said.
Maximin told CNBC that his LinkedIn post generated about 200 messages, helping him increase his connections on the site by a third.
He added that the invitation was not intended to criticize SpaceX, calling it “one of the best engineering companies in the world.” Rather, Maximin told the outlet, he wanted to offer Americans new opportunities in Europe.
Musk did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Latitude is a much smaller company than SpaceX, with about 140 employees compared to Musk’s roughly 13,000.
But the company’s surge in applications coincides with growing interest among Americans in moving abroad.
“We’ve done this many times” when it comes to hiring foreigners, Maximin told CNBC.
Musk attracted public attention earlier this month when he announced the move in response to a recently passed California law that bans school districts from requiring teachers to tell parents about their students’ sexual orientation or gender identity.
Billionaire Musk didn’t say when he would move SpaceX from California to Texas, but some of the plans may have already been in motion before his social media announcement. Musk has called Texas home in recent years, and he moved Tesla’s headquarters there from California during the pandemic.
