Government expert on Elon Musk and DOGE’s “slash-and-burn exercise”

Government expert on Elon Musk and DOGE’s “slash-and-burn exercise”

It was a remarkable moment last Tuesday: President Trump standing beside a shiny electric car at the White House making a pitch for the car’s maker, Elon Musk: “This man has devoted his energy and his life to doing this. I think he’s been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people.”
For Musk – who spent about $300 million to help Trump win the White House, and who has reportedly pledged millions more to Trump’s political efforts – it was a boost for Tesla’s image, and a show of solidarity from the president. As he climbed into the driver’s seat, Mr. Trump gushed, “Everything’s computers!”

Tesla protests across the country have been a response to the “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative, known as DOGE. And as the man at its helm, Musk has been presidential confidant, cost-cutter, and government contractor all at once.

When asked about possible conflicts of interest given Musk’s role in the Trump administration, Katie Drummond, the global editorial director of Wired (the technology publication that has scored recent scoops about Musk and his associates), says, “It is very clear that there are conflicts of interest across the board. I mean, Elon Musk himself is one giant conflict of interest.

“When you think about SpaceX, Starlink, Tesla, you think about all of these companies that are in some way, shape or form regulated and overseen by different agencies of the federal government,” Drummond said. “And then you remember that the person who owns and runs all of these companies is flying on Air Force One with President Trump. Of course it’s a conflict of interest.”

After years of covering Silicon Valley, Wired was ready to cover the ascent of tech billionaires into politics. [Last year, the magazine endorsed Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.]

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *