Tech billionaire Elon Musk is bringing his “hardcore” philosophy to the federal government, and he already has a few requirements for those interested in working for him. Among the most notable: Be prepared to work ungodly hours and don’t expect to get paid a cent.
The birth of DOGE. Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump said Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would lead the nearly-created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. (The name is a nod to dogecoin, Musk’s favorite memecoin). According to Trump, DOGE’s will focus on cutting federal spending and dismantling government bureaucracy.
Given that it will work outside the government in an advisory role, the commission will not have the power to make cuts itself. Instead, it will deliver recommendations to Trump, who can choose to include them in his annual presidential budget request. The president’s request is then presented the Congress, which debates and modifies the request.
While details on how DOGE will work and what it will target in its cuts are still relatively unknown, the commission started setting gears in motion on Thursday by opening up its job applications.
Now hiring people with a high IQ. In a post on X, the official DOGE account claimed that “thousands of Americans” had expressed an interest in working for the department. Not just anyone will make the cut though, and you may not even want to.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators. We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting,” the department stated.
Unsurprisingly, the DOGE account invited anyone interested in a job to send in their resume via direct message, noting that “Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
Musk chimed in with his own comments on the job listing a few hours later, adding that people chosen to work for the department would be in for “tedious work.” They would also “make lots of enemies” and not be paid for their work.
An image to represent DOGE posted by Vivek Ramaswamy.
Musk’s next project after Twitter 2.0. The job listing, and Musk’s comments about it, bears resemblance to the attitude the billionaire took after acquiring Twitter for $44 billion in 2022. Within weeks of completing the purchase, Musk told staff they needed to adopt an “extremely hardcore” attitude to build Twitter 2.0., which would require “working long hours at high intensity.”
“Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade,” Musk wrote in a staff-wide email at that time. He went on to say that anyone who didn’t want to be part of the new Twitter was free to leave and would receive severance.
In the end, Musk would go on to lay off about 80% of Twitter’s staff and rename the platform as X. His era at the company has been marked by plummeting advertising revenue, a failed subscription plan, fights with foreign leaders, and the rise of rivals like Threads and Bluesky.
The Musk method. In general, Musk’s management style is unpredictable and heavily influenced by what he wants at that time. He doesn’t shy away from cutting costs and people across his businesses, including Tesla and X, and expects employees to work grueling hours to achieve goals. Some of his companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, have thrived under his leadership. It's not a fail-proof method though, as evidenced by the 80% reduction in Twitter's valuation since he bought it.
It’s unclear whether Musk’s approach to his own companies can be transferred to a public entity like the federal government, which Congress also has a say in. Furthermore, it’s unclear whether the billionaire’s partnership with Trump will last.
While Musk may hold Trump’s favor now, the president-elect is also unpredictable and prone to fighting with people close to him. Overall, a big part of DOGE’s success will depend on whether Musk and Trump remain on good terms throughout the commission’s lifetime. Only time will tell if they manage to strong-arm their changes into reality.
Image | Xataka On
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