As Musk champions slashing government oversight, questions arise: is it about innovation—or empire-building?
One of the most Googled things after Donald Trump won the election was what does the Department of Government Efficiency do? Just like many things around Donald Trump, nobody knows what he is talking about, and most of the time nobody knows if what is saying is based in reality.
So, for those of you who don’t know what the Department of Government Efficiency is, do, rest easy because from what happened with the Google results most people didn’t get a good answer. However, let me provide you with the simplest answer possible. The truth is, it doesn’t exist, and it never has.
Much like the person who will soon to be in charge of said made-up department, there really isn’t a blueprint for. Elon Musk’s business empire is vast and diverse, encompassing electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, the social media platform X, the artificial intelligence startup xAI, the brain-computer interface company Neuralink, the tunneling company Boring Company, and the aerospace giant SpaceX.
Several of these enterprises already reap significant benefits from federal contracts. Notably, SpaceX has secured over $19 billion through agreements with the federal government, as reported by FedScout. Should a second Trump presidency occur, SpaceX stands to gain even more lucrative contracts. FedScout CEO Geoff Orazem notes that SpaceX is poised to generate billions in annual revenue from prime federal contracts for the foreseeable future.
His plan is primarily to cut government spending by taking away a lot of government agencies, which provide a lot of essential services. And then finally go over the regulations that hold up a lot of his companies from achieving their set goals of full control over most of, if not all of what Americans use daily.
Musk, who has often held the government responsible for hindering innovation, is likely to advocate for reduced regulation of his ventures. Recently, both Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were selected by Trump to lead a new initiative focused on government efficiency known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
In a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Musk and Ramaswamy outlined DOGE’s mission to implement three key reforms: cutting unnecessary regulations, streamlining administrative processes, and achieving cost savings.
They argued that Congress never ratified numerous federal regulations and should be repealed—a move that President-elect Trump could facilitate through executive orders. Additionally, Musk and Ramaswamy called for comprehensive audits of federal agencies, criticizing the Pentagon for failing its audit for the seventh consecutive year.
“The primary advantage for Elon Musk and his companies in a Trump administration lies in deregulation and diminishing the influence of federal agencies responsible for monitoring his activities and those of his businesses,” they stated. accomplish through executive action.
Musk and Ramaswamy also championed the large-scale auditing of agencies, calling out the Pentagon for failing its seventh consecutive audit.
“The number one way Elon Musk and his companies would benefit from a Trump administration is through deregulation and defanging, you know, giving fewer resources to federal agencies tasked with oversight of him and his businesses.
Sadly, as Kara Swisher, “host of the “on and Pivot” podcast, explained on CNN. Elon will quickly find out that the government doesn’t work the same way the private sector does. She correctly pointed out that Elon would most likely tire with the government and move back to the private sector.
