“You kind of give a little bit to get a whole lot more.”

That’s the word from Board Vice-Chair Kwanza Hall, who says with the approval of a $10 million tax break, Develop Fulton on Tuesday secured a $700 million commitment from X Corporation--including written guarantees of educational and entrepreneurial partnerships with the Atlanta and Fulton County school systems, area colleges and universities, and budding businesses.

“Certificate programs for high school students and college students; job training; internships; and helping entrepreneurs to get started--especially those from diverse backgrounds. It’s a win-win-win,” says Hall.

Hall says Fulton will get $16 million in revenue over 10 years. X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, will also create 50 jobs on top of the existing 24 here.

The tax break goes toward installation of new AI-focused computer equipment at an existing data center on Jefferson Street, and X indicated if they did not get the incentives in Atlanta, they would go to Oregon instead.

Hall says this is cutting-edge technology to be created--not something available on the shelves already.

The first time the tax break proposal came before the Development Authority of Fulton County in early December, it ended in a 4-4 tie. That proposal did not create any new jobs, only kept the current two dozen. Before Tuesday’s vote, board members really dug in on negotiations with X--particularly, Hall says, Erica Long, the Chief of Staff for Atlanta Public Schools, and Dr. Mike Looney, the Fulton County Schools superintendent. They didn’t see anything in the first proposal to benefit students and the future workforce in an area that’s growing exponentially.

“How are you going to bring $700 million worth of new computer infrastructure, and not one child in Fulton County gets any advanced learning or gets a pipeline to get a high school certificate in AI [artificial intelligence]--when we all know that our children are using these devices for everything?” Hall says.

This time, the proposal passed 6-2. Long and Kyle Lamont voted against it. Lamont raised concerns about X’s increased amount of hate speech amid the robust discussion during the meeting.

Hall and former Johns Creek mayor Mike Bodker were among the board members sounding a hopeful note that the investment in the former hometown of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would play a role in enlightening minds, steering people away from prejudice and hate speech, and launching face-to-face dialogue with X’s corporate leadership along the same lines thanks to the inclusive ecosystem of Atlanta.

Last November, Musk agreed with a tweet that said Jewish people have been pushing “dialectical hatred against whites,” writing, “You have said the actual truth.”

“I’m looking forward to that conversation. We’re one person removed from talking direct to Elon Musk, so we’re trying to get him in the conversation around all the good things,” says Hall.

Hall says that in the contract, X says the education and business partnerships will start coming to fruition in March.

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