--- title: "Governor-Elect of Texas Announces Plans to Bring Elon Musk Under Control" description: "Governor-elect of Texas Gina Hinojosa said she would work with Musk, but vowed that it would have to be \"on our terms.\"" date: "2026-11-07" modified: "2026-11-07" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore.md" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/texas-governor-elon-musk" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" --- # Governor-Elect of Texas Announces Plans to Bring Elon Musk Under Control ![Austin state democratic representative and gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa speaks at an anti-ICE rally.]() *Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock / Futurism* The governor-elect of Texas Gina Hinojosa made it clear on the campaign trail that she would work to rein in data centers and billionaire tech barons. And now that she's headed into office, that means playing hardball with SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "We can have a strong working relationship with Elon Musk and his companies, but it has to be on our terms," Hinojosa said Thursday in an interview with *CNN*, [as quoted by *Bloomberg*](). "It cannot be just running over the people of Texas, and that's what changes now that I will be governor." A central part of Hinojosa's campaign was demanding an immediate moratorium on new data center construction until lawmakers have established tighter regulations and stronger protections for local communities. In the Thursday interview, Hinojosa reiterated her commitment to placing more stringent regulations on data centers by saying she would "balance" it with keeping Texas a business-friendly state. She also shared that she's already making moves to crack down on Musk. Amid speculation that Texas officials have been [considering a sale]() of state park land to SpaceX, Hinojosa said she spoke to the head of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to "request that no action be taken," per *Bloomberg*. "It is such an important resource," she told reporters in Austin, hours before the *CNN* interview. Wall Street and the AI industry are watching Hinojosa closely, as Texas has become the nucleus of the data center boom. Over a quarter of the US's planned data center capacity resides in the state. Musk is deeply invested in the state, having relocated his companies SpaceX and Tesla there from California. He's also reportedly exploring sites to [build another large data center in Texas](), to add to the controversial "Colossus" facilities he operates in Greater Memphis. That's not to mention the quarter of a billion dollars he poured into the midterms to support Republican candidates. Of course, Musk could simply do what many think is impossible — or at least economically infeasible — and ditch terrestrial AI instrastructure altogether. "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now," Musk [wrote on X](), following the brutal election loss. **More on AI:** [*The Tech Industry Went All in on Trump, and Now They’re in Serious Danger Now That Americans Have Turned on Him*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Elon Musk in Real Trouble After Humiliating Defeat]() - [Governor of Texas Says He Can’t Release His Emails With Elon Musk Because They Are “Intimate and Embarrassing”]() - [Texas Governor Suddenly Turns on Data Centers as Backlash Grows]() - [Tech Industry in Denial That the Midterms Show Everyone Hates Them]() - [Elon Musk Carefully Says Nothing About Texas Abortion Ban]() - [The Tech Industry Went All in on Trump, and Now They’re in Serious Danger Now That Americans Have Turned on Him]() - [Elon Musk Says SpaceX HQ Will Move to Texas Due to His Terror of Trans People]() - [Elon Musk Says He Has Moved to Texas]()