Frustrated CEO moved company to Texas, says ‘California sucks’ with taxes

Nypost · Aug 17, 2026 · 555 words · By Fox News

Cost of Living Business Migration California Tax Policy

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What to know about Cost of Living

Frustrated CEO moved company to Texas, says ‘California sucks’ with taxes See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Frustrated CEO moved company to Texas, says ‘California sucks’ with taxes See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google “Doing business in the state of California sucks,” Hil Davis, a California businessman, bluntly told Fox News Digital.

Common ground

That frustration ultimately drove Davis, CEO of Digital Brands Group, more than 1,300 miles to Texas.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Cost of Living story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Orange County recorded a net loss of 11,618 tax filers?
How does this story connect Cost of Living with Business Migration over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/17/business/ceo-moved-headquarters-to-texas-cites-cal…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified 5

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

check_circle Corroborated 1

verified

Claim 1: “Orange County recorded a net loss of 11,618 tax filers”

VERIFIED

The specific figure of a net loss of 11,618 tax filers for Orange County is explicitly stated in the web search result 'The only map you need to see as California's billionaire tax fight heats...'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Orange County, officially the County of Orange, often initialized: O.C., is located in the Greater Los Angeles area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the popu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA, ICAO: KSNA, FAA LID: SNA) is an international commercial and general aviation airport that serves Orange County and Greater Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Airport

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange,_California

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 2: “Digital Brands Group will keep some production operations in Los Angeles after moving its headquarters to Texas.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny whether production operations were kept in Los Angeles.

verified

Claim 3: “Riverside County with 8,968”

VERIFIED

The specific figure of 8,968 tax filers for Riverside County is explicitly stated in the web search result 'The only map you need to see as California's billionaire tax fight heats...'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - apply for a REAL ID, register a vehicle, renew a driver's license, and more.
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Other California counties also saw significant outflows. Orange County recorded a net loss of 11,618 tax filers, followed by San Diego County with 9,401, Riverside County with 8,968 and San Bernardino…
https://www.soz6.com/news/the-only-map-you-need-to-see-as-ca…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — New York County led every county in America in attracting new tax filers between 2022 and 2023.The broader picture is even grimmer: According to IRS migration data, New York State lost nearly 72,000 n…
https://istandforfreedom.com/nation-tax-filers-income-reside…

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Claim 4: “Hil Davis, CEO of Digital Brands Group, moved the company's headquarters to Texas.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results confirm that Hil Davis moved Digital Brands Group to Round Rock, Texas, citing California's costs.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Deckers Outdoor Corporation, doing business as Deckers Brands, is an American footwear designer and distributor founded in 1973 and based in Goleta, California. The company's portfolio of brands inclu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deckers_Brands

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — X Brands (July 24, 1927 – May 8, 2000), sometimes credited as "Jay X. Brands", was an American actor of German ancestry known for his roles on various television series and in some films between 1956 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Brands

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yum! Brands, Inc. (sometimes called just Yum!) is an American multinational fast food corporation. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, the company operates KFC, Taco Bell, Habit Burger & Grill, and several…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yum!_Brands

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “Los Angeles County led the nation in taxpayer losses in the latest IRS data, with a net 17,496 tax filers leaving for other states and taking nearly $1.9 billion in income with them.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this specific claim (Griz Football, Church of Holy Family) is completely irrelevant. However, the claim appears to be part of the same report as claims 5, 6, and 7, which are corroborated by a specific web source. Since the specific numbers for LA County aren't in the snippets, it remains single-source/unconfirmed by the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Holy Family is a private, independent traditionalist Catholic chapel located behind a guarded gate at 30188 W. Mulholland Highway, Agoura, California, United States. It is not affiliated with the Arch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Family_(Ago…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The estate of Michael Jackson is a legal entity established following the death of American singer Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, for the purpose of administering his property and overseeing his po…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_of_Michael_Jackson

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jessica Elzora Burgess (January 17, 1917 – September 9, 1992), better known as Sally Conforte, was the first legal brothel owner and the second female boxing manager in U.S. history. She is known as …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Conforte

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “followed by San Diego County with 9,401”

VERIFIED

The specific figure of 9,401 tax filers for San Diego County is explicitly stated in the web search result 'The only map you need to see as California's billionaire tax fight heats...'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Learn about Internal Revenue Code 401(k) retirement plans and the tax rules that apply to them.
https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/401k-plans

travel_explore

verified

Claim 7: “and San Bernardino County with 8,462.”

VERIFIED

Although the 'Evidence for claim 8' section says 'No evidence found', the evidence provided for claim 5, 6, and 7 explicitly includes: 'and San Bernardino County with 8,462'.

info

Claim 8: “The apparel and e-commerce company relocated its headquarters to Round Rock, just north of Austin, leasing roughly 70,000 square feet of warehouse and office space”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the move to Round Rock is corroborated, the specific detail about leasing 'roughly 70,000 square feet' is not mentioned in the provided evidence snippets. The search results for 'square feet' are generic converters or unrelated companies (Four Hands).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dinosaur Pile-Up is an English alternative rock band formed in late 2007, hailing from Leeds, West Yorkshire. Current members are lead singer and guitarist Matt Bigland, drummer Mike Sheils and bassis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_Pile-Up

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "New Moon Rising" is a song by Australian hard rock band Wolfmother. It was released on their second studio album Cosmic Egg, released in 2009. The song shares its name with an Australian concert tour…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Moon_Rising_(song)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Virgin Money is a British banking and financial services brand. It has been owned by Nationwide Building Society since 1 October 2024. The Virgin Money brand was founded by Richard Branson in March 19…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Money_UK

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 9: “That debate has intensified around a proposed one-time tax of up to 5% on Californians worth more than $1 billion.”

VERIFIED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference from Nypost regarding a one-time 5% levy on state residents with a net worth exceeding $1 billion.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Get the latitude and longitude of any GPS location on Earth with our interactive Maps.
https://www.gps-coordinates.net/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Enter your latlong both the latitude and longitude values into the corresponding latitude and longitude field. The coordinate locator then resolves the full address tied to those coordinates.
https://gpscoordinates.live/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The latitude has the symbol of phi, and it shows the angle between the straight line in the certain point and the equatorial plane. The latitude is specified by degrees, starting from 0° and ending up…
https://www.latlong.net/

+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 10: “Davis said the sprawling Texas facility costs roughly the same as the company’s former space in Vernon, California”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms the move and the reason (costs), but the specific comparison that the Texas facility costs 'roughly the same' as the Vernon, California space is not explicitly detailed in the provided snippets.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Animoca Brands Corporation Ltd. is a Hong Kong–based game software company and venture capital company co-founded in 2014 by Yat Siu and David Kim. The company initially focused on developing mobile g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animoca_Brands

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Digital branding is a brand management technique that uses a combination of internet branding and digital marketing to develop a brand over a range of digital venues, including internet-based relation…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_branding

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Good Glamm Group is a content-to-commerce company that produces and sells personal care and cosmetic products, with operations in India, Dubai, Singapore, and the USA. The company achieved unicorn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Glamm_Group

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.