Travis Kalanick Flees California to Dodge $180 Million Tax

Travis Kalanick moved to Texas on December 18, 2025, two weeks before a $180 million California tax would have hit him. The measure, Proposition 40, imposes a one-time five percent levy on billionaires whose primary residence was California on Jan. 1, 2026. Kalanick, worth about $3.6 billion, said his move made him a Texas primary resident. And the number that actually matters: $540 billion has left California. Stanford economists say that's about thirty percent of the wealth the tax could have reached. If Prop 40 passes next Tuesday, the tax would be due in 2027 with payments spread over five years. Ninety percent of any revenue would fund Medi-Cal and other public health services. Kalanick's exemption hinges on whether California can prove he didn't truly become a Texas resident before Jan. 1. He summed it up on TBPN: "I'm a primary resident of Texas, period."