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.

Former congressman Barney Frank, who represented Massachusetts and the South Coast in Congress for more than three decades, is using his final public moments to deliver an urgent message to Democrats as he enters hospice care
These rare mushrooms are famous for their intense flavor, and their expensive price. But climate change may be driving those prices even higher
Boston Legacy FC of the National Women’s Soccer League plans to play seven matches at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket
The grant money will fund 26 medical research projects with grants capped at $25,000
“Revolution to Reclamation” invites visitors to reconsider the country’s founding from Native perspectives
The City Council failed to overturn the mayor’s veto of the Providence Rent Stabilization Act, which aimed to cap annual rent increases at 4% in most city apartments