Billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, stirred amusement and speculation after describing his unusual preparation for heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
"I rewatched Office Space tonight for the 5th time to prepare for @DOGE!" Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) on November 24. The post left many wondering whether Musk was joking or signaling serious intentions regarding his role in DOGE.
Office Space is a 1999 satirical comedy directed by Mike Judge of Beavis and Butt-Head fame, which critiques corporate culture and the drudgery of office life. The film has become a cult classic, known for its humorous take on bureaucratic inefficiencies, including the iconic scene where frustrated employees destroy a malfunctioning printer.
Musk's reference to the movie suggests a parallel between corporate and governmental bureaucracy, hinting at his intent to address what he sees as inefficiencies within federal operations.
Newsweek reached out to Elon Musk via email for comment.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a proposed U.S. presidential advisory commission announced by President-elect Donald Trump earlier this month.
Despite its departmental title, DOGE is not intended to function as a federal executive department. Instead, it will serve as an advisory body aiming to streamline the federal government and reduce inefficiency. The idea emerged from discussions between Trump and Musk, leading to Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy being appointed as co-leaders.
DOGE's primary goals purport to include dismantling bureaucratic red tape, reducing unnecessary regulations, and proposing significant cuts to federal expenditures. The commission says it aims to identify and eliminate wasteful spending, with Musk suggesting that DOGE could help cut the federal budget by up to $2 trillion.
According to a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Musk and Ramaswamy, they plan to target $500 billion in annual federal expenditures they believe are unauthorized or misused. They also plan to launch a new podcast called DOGEcast to document their progress.
The duo's strategies involve potentially drastic measures, such as recommending the closure of entire federal agencies and significant reductions in the federal workforce.
They also intend to enforce a return-to-office mandate for federal employees, anticipating that it would lead to voluntary resignations. Their approach raises questions about the feasibility and legality of such actions, especially without congressional approval.
The establishment of DOGE has garnered mixed reactions. Supporters, like Texas Representative Chip Roy, applaud the initiative for challenging the status quo. "President Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy are at the forefront of a spending paradigm shift... empowering the average American," Roy said in an interview with The Washington Post.
However, critics have expressed skepticism about the commission's understanding of federal law and the practicality of their proposals. Richard J. Pierce, a professor specializing in administrative law at George Washington University, stated that Musk and Ramaswamy are "utterly ignorant" of federal regulations. "There is nothing in the statute that comes anywhere close to authorizing what they want to do," Pierce said.
Budget experts highlight that previous efforts to streamline government spending have often failed.
Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, criticized their approach as having a "meme-level understanding" of federal spending. "They have a fundamentally superficial understanding of what they're doing," Kogan told The Salon.
David Reich, a senior fellow at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, pointed out inaccuracies in their claims about unauthorized spending. "For anything the federal government is spending, there's going to be an appropriation," Reich explained to The Salon, saying that all expenditures are authorized by Congress.
Ethics experts are concerned about possible conflicts of interest, given Musk's extensive business ventures that could benefit from deregulation. Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, warned that if Musk and Ramaswamy influence governmental decisions impacting their businesses, it could lead to "illegal conflicts of interest," as reported by ABC News.
Additionally, concerns have been raised about DOGE's hiring practices. According to Fortune, applicants are required to send their resumes via X's direct messaging system, which necessitates a premium subscription—effectively directing funds to Musk's own platform.
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