Efficiency − Or Empire? How Elon Musk’s Hostile Takeover Could End Government as We Know It

Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Matt Rourke/AP
Share
Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Matt Rourke/AP
Efficiency − Or Empire? How Elon Musk’s Hostile Takeover Could End Government as We Know It
Copy

Elon Musk’s role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, is on the surface a dramatic effort to overhaul the inefficiencies of federal bureaucracy. But beneath the rhetoric of cost-cutting and regulatory streamlining lies a troubling scenario.

Musk has been appointed what is called a “special government employee” in charge of the White House office formerly known as the U.S. Digital Service, which was renamed the U.S. DOGE Service on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term. The Musk team’s purported goals are to maximize efficiency and to eliminate waste and redundancy.

That might sound like a bold move toward Silicon Valley-style innovation in governance. However, the deeper motivations driving Musk’s involvement are unlikely to be purely altruistic.

Read the rest of this article on The Conversation.

This weekend’s lineup includes stories of Providence’s Latino community, Gullah-inspired jazz, local artists and some very ambitious kites
The state’s congressional delegation says President Trump denied Rhode Island’s blizzard aid request the same day he promoted disaster assistance for Republican-leaning states
Summer reading, zine-making, a speculative horror book club and a chance to meet the Providence mayoral candidates – here’s what’s going on in July throughout the nine Community Libraries of Providence
After a powerful heatwave swept across the northeast last week, Possibly turned to its archive, looking for lessons about how to better prepare for extreme heat. We travel to Ahmedabad, India to learn more
Ocean State Media is partnering with 11 Rhode Island libraries on The Books That Grew Us, a new program that helps readers explore how books, media and storytelling shape their lives
At Ashawaug Farm in Hopkinton, Narragansett growers are preserving heritage crops while navigating cuts to federal programs that helped small and tribal producers