Elon Musk has been appointed to lead Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in what has been dubbed “the Manhattan Project of our time”. The Telegraph has more.
The billionaire Tesla boss will co-run DOGE – which coincides with the name of his cryptocurrency Dogecoin – alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump ally and fellow entrepreneur.
Mr. Musk said his appointment to the role “will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people”.
Mr. Trump hailed the new department as “potentially the Manhattan Project of our time” and insisted DOGE would “drive large scale structural reform”, and create an “entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before”.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle Government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” Mr. Trump added.
The SpaceX boss had been widely tipped to play a key role in the President-elect’s administration.
He was one of Mr. Trump’s highest profile supporters on the election trail and is said to have spent millions helping to fund his winning campaign.
Mr. Musk has recently undertaken high-profile corporate cost-cutting. After buying X in 2022, he cut staff by 80%, which he claims saved the company about $3 billion.
However, since he took over the social media platform – formerly known as Twitter – revenue has declined and many advertisers have fled.
On Tuesday Mr. Musk promised Americans that DOGE will keep a “leaderboard” for the “most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars”.
His co-lead at DOGE, Mr. Ramaswamy, is a former candidate in the Republican primaries who has also been a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump and a regular at campaign rallies.
He is the founder of a pharmaceutical company with a personal wealth estimated at just under $1 billion (£780 million).
The President-elect said the work of the new department would conclude by July 4th 2026, and a smaller and more efficient Government would be its “gift” to the country on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: The Guardian has quit X in the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory. The Left-wing newspaper explains:
We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere.
This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-Right conspiracy theories and racism. The U.S. Presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.
Pathetic.
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‘since he took over the social media platform – formerly known as Twitter – revenue has declined and many advertisers have fled.’ IIRC it was because of vicious lefty bullying of spineless companies.
Elon is probably the smartest guy on the planet, and has experience cutting vast numbers of useless eaters from bloated payrolls.
I hope he has good personal security.
Musk fired 75% or so of the Twittering staff…Revenues declined 22%, no. of users keeps increasing. Unprofitable due to many factors including massive loan repayments. Debt is killing X.
X/Twaddle is in the same position as most govt agencies. Give them all the Twaddle treatment, fire 75% of the unionised staff and streamline. Nothing bad will happen.
N.B. for Musk, shut down completely, the CIA, Education, DHS, NSA, most of the IRS and FBI. As a starting point.
And the FAA. He really likes them
I read that Drumpf is considering placing an Ethnic Indian named Patel as Director of the CIA.
The mind boggles…
And the CDC.
I guess they can’t call it this but it really needs to be the Department for Closing Things Down
A department for closing down departments is an absurdity. But I guess he can’t call it “government role for my good pal Elon” (in recognition for services to campaigning).
Why is it absurd?
Because it purports to reduce the number of government departments by increasing them.
Ah. A Ministry of Administrative Affairs.
But not run by bureaucrats.
If the net effect is an overall reduction in number or expenditure then the objective is achieved
The aim is not to reduce the number of departments, but to reform what they are doing, reduce number of employees and reduce their budgets.
Also some agencies are to be relocated outside Washington DC where operating costs are lower.
It’s all explained if you care to check.
Here’s a suggestion for improving government efficiency: Abolish the department of government efficiency.
I think it’s very strange that both the supposedly left-wing UK and the supposedly right-wing US government have created “government efficiency” roles in quick succession. This suggests a third party source for this idea and I’d very much like to know who that is and what’s supposed to be covered by it.
This suggest a third party source…
I confess it is I.
I very much hope that Mr Musk is being followed around by his own camera team.
This will be like Clarkson meets the local council, with more shouting…..
Whut? Like Angela Rayner (our Ange)?
The Guardian, champion of free speech….
Grauniad – correct spelling, please.
“However, since he took over the social media platform – formerly known as Twitter – revenue has declined and many advertisers have fled.”
X is a different business model. Musk fired about 80% employees substantially reducing the payroll expense, and now there is more efficiently use of resources, which also lowers costs. X has also introduced ad-free subscription for verified users, to reduce reliance on advertising.
People confuse revenue with earnings. Earnings is the difference between costs and revenue. That means a low costs enterprise can yield higher earnings (aka profit) from lower revenues – better return on capital, than high cost, high revenue businesses.
It is too much to expect the Commentariat to understand business and economics – or much else it seems.
Whereas when the Guardian tries to shape political discourse that’s a good thing.
I understand that behind the scenes X has been made much more efficient.i.e. less inputs for the same product/service. The issue however is that X is very much a single issue platform, it does one thing, and people take it or leave it. The commonality with government service is therefore limited. To apply the same efficiency goals to go services is to focus on each separate service in the same sort of way. How will Elon avoid just making more efficient one size fits all services, suitable for none?
At least Elon Musk is extremely intelligent and capable, and a defender of Free Speech.
Ramaswarmy Ding-dong is just a cringeworthy joke, and a perfect example, like putting the proposed Patel in charge of the CIA, of one public comment:
“Drumpf does not choose people for their competence. He chooses bootlickers.”
Trump ally Kash Patel emerges as a ‘top contender’ for CIA director – and gets backing from Elon Musk | Daily Mail Online
“As a public defender, Kashyap Patel represented clients charged with felonies including international drug trafficking, murder, firearms violations, and bulk cash smuggling.”
Here he is:
Well, most of that list of activities is right up the street of the CIA, to be fair…
I think intelligence agencies everywhere must be relieved that Drumpf changed his mind and chose an actual competent person instead, John Ratcliffe. Some say they are still worried about who will be chosen as his Deputy.
What I wouldn’t give to have those two over here.
I hope he goes full Milei on them.
I hope the change in political landscape in the USA will be the start of a return to sanity.
However, we should continue to try and implement change ourselves here in the U.K. We cannot rely on one man across the pond to create our change.
better used promoting our journalism elsewhere
Journalism?? At the Guardian??