University of Austin Building Lab Next to Musk’s Bastrop

The University of Austin is planting a physical flag in Elon Musk country.

The upstart institution said it is well into construction on an applied engineering lab adjacent to The Boring Company’s headquarters in Bastrop County east of Austin, deepening a link between the university and Musk’s expanding network of companies, the Austin Business Journal reported. A social media post on Friday from the school showed the building nearing completion, close to the intersection of Walker Watson Road and FM 1209, about 30 miles east of Downtown Austin, with the caption “coming soon.”

The social media post landed alongside a separate post from Boring, which said it recently completed a two-week co-op program with the University of Austin. Ten students worked “around the clock on real-world underground detection and communication technologies,” the tunneling firm said in the post. Neither the university nor Boring provided additional details about the facility, and representatives for the school, the company and Bastrop County did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the publication.

The lab appears to be the latest piece of development tied to Musk along a rapidly transforming stretch of land near the Colorado River. Since 2021, Musk-linked entities have assembled close to 700 acres in Bastrop County, creating a campus-like environment that now includes headquarters for Boring and X, a growing SpaceX manufacturing operation, housing, a private school, retail amenities and other infrastructure. Much of what’s happening there has emerged through social media breadcrumbs, public filings and piecemeal reporting.

Rumors have circulated for months that the University of Austin was aligning itself with Musk’s companies and planning a Bastrop presence. The university, founded in 2021 and currently operating out of the Scarborough Building downtown, is not accredited, but has leaned heavily into applied sciences, free speech branding and high-profile partnerships.

Property records suggest the new lab is being built on land tied to Musk’s orbit. An Austin-based entity called Bastrop Property Trust acquired a 29-acre site across Walker Watson Road from Boring’s headquarters in 2024. While ownership details are obscured, the deed traces back to a Boca Chica law firm known for representing Musk-affiliated entities in both Cameron and Bastrop counties.

The University of Austin was founded by a roster of prominent conservative thinkers and media figures, including CBS News’ editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale and historian Niall Ferguson, all of whom remain on its board. The school recently announced a $100 million donation from billionaire trader Jeffrey Yass as part of a $300 million fundraising push.

— Eric Weilbacher